.■, ■•  :<"j  1 V  j(  ;■'.■!  y.'  t  -.'~. ;  \o  i  v:.i  '.O'.' 


VHOUND.^HE  WORLD 


By  E.D.  G.PRIME.D.D. 


mmmmmmtm^. 


PS  I 


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AROUND   THE  WORLD 


SKETCHES  OF  TRAVEL 


THROUGH  MANY  LANDS  and  OVER  MANY  SEAS. 


By   E.  D.  G.  prime,   D.D. 


WITH  NUMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NEW    YORK: 

HARPER    &     BROTHERS,     PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN       SQUARE. 
1872. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1872,  by 

Harper  &  Brothers, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


TO 
MY    BELOVED    AND    VENERABLE 

MOTHER, 

WHO,  BEYOND  THE  GATE  OF  FOURSCORE,  GAVE  ME  HER  PARTING 
BLESSING,  AND  WATCHED  FOR  MY  RETURN; 

WHO   NOW  CALMLY  AWAITS   HER  SUMMONS  TO  THE   BETTER 

COUNTRY, 

THIS   VOLUME 
IS  AFFECTIONATELY  INSCRIBED. 


PREFACE. 


The  journey  of  which  the  following  pages  contain  a 
running  account  was  undertaken  by  the  wi-iter  mainly  for 
the  recovery  of  health,  but  also  for  the  general  purposes 
of  travel  and  observation.  The  volume  was  designed,  not 
in  any  measure  as  an  exhaustive  account  of  what  is  to  be 
seen,  and  learned,  and  enjoyed  in  such  a  tour  (a  score  of 
volumes  would  not  contain  the  record),  but  to  give  to  the 
intelligent  reader  suggestive  glimpses  of  the  world  of  in- 
terest which  such  a  journey  affords.  The  time  devoted  to 
it,  a  single  year,  may  seem  short  when  the  great  extent  of 
land  and  sea  is  taken  into  account,  but  the  facilities  of 
travel  are  so  great  at  the  present  day  that  more  may  now 
be  compressed  into  a  year  than  formerly  into  two  or  three. 

Nor  was  the  tour  made  so  rapidly  as  might  be  supposed. 
The  actual  traveling  time  in  going  round  the  world  has 
been  reduced  to  seventy-five  days,  distrilmted  as  follows : 
From  New  York  to  San  Francisco,  by  rail,  six  days ;  from 
San  Francisco  to  Yokohama  and  Hong  Kong,  by  steam- 
ship, twenty-seven  days  (this  voyage  might  be  made  with 
perfect  ease,  at  a  little  more  expense  of  coal,  in  twenty-two 
days) ;  from  Hong  Kong  to  Calcutta,  by  steam-ship,  twelve 
days ;  from  Calcutta  to  Bombay,  via  Allahabad,  by  contin- 
uous rail,  a  journey  of  1450  miles  through  the  heart  of 
India,  three  days ;  from  Bombay  to  Suez,  by  steam-ship, 
eleven  days ;  from  Suez  to  Paris  or  London,  by  steam-ship 
and  rail,  six  days ;  from  London  to  New  York,  ten  days. 
This  is  taking  the  most  direct  route,  and  does  not  include 


viii  PREFACE. 

excursions  in  various  directions  to  and  through  different 
countries  on  the  way,  but  it  leaves  between  nine  and  ten 
months  of  the  year  to  be  spent  where  and  in  what  way  the 
inclination  of  the  traveler  may  suggest.  Having  previous- 
ly become  familiar,  by  travel,  with  many  of  the  countries 
of  Europe,  the  writer  devoted  the  greater  part  of  his  time 
to  more  eastern  lands,  spending  two  months  in  Japan  and 
China,  the  same  in  India,  and  a  portion  of  the  remainder 
in  Egypt  and  Western  Asia.  Taking  a  single  year,  and 
starting  at  the  right  time,  enables  the  traveler  to  be  in 
each  country,  and  on  every  sea,  at  the  most  favorable  sea- 
son ;  whereas  a  longer  period  would  inevitably  bring  him 
into  some  Oriental  region  in  midsummer,  when  the  heat  is 
almost  intolerable  even  for  residents,  or  among  the  typhoons 
and  cyclones  of  the  tropical  seas. 

For  the  same  reason  he  must  needs  travel  westward,  or 
he  will  as  inevitably  find  himself  in  some  part  of  the  world 
at  the  season  when  he  would  wish  to  be  any  where  else. 
The  natural  order,  with  the  sun,  is  the  only  practicable 
course,  excepting  at  great  expense  of  comfort,  and  no  little 
exposure  of  health  and  life. 

The  journey  detailed  in  this  volume  was  arranged,  with 
regard  to  these  contingencies,  so  accurately,  that  the  high- 
est rano-e  of  the  thermometer  occurrins;  in  its  whole  extent 
was  in  crossing  our  own  continent  at  starting,  and  in  land- 
ing at  New  York  on  the  return;  and  yet,  in  different 
parts  of  Asia  that  were  visited,  the  degree  of  heat  during  a 
large  part  of  the  year  varies  from  100°  to  130°  Fahrenheit 
in  the  shade.  In  India,  the  thermometer  often  stands  in 
summer  at  120°  and  130°  during  the  day,  and  does  not  fall 
below  100°  at  night;  but  we  neither  saw  frost  during  the 
entire  year,  nor  a  higher  degree  than  89  of  the  thermom- 
eter. 

The  precision  with  which  such  a  journey  can  be  ar- 


PREFACE.  jjj. 

ranged  beforehand,  with  the  present  facilities  and  regular- 
ity of  travel,  may  be  gathered  from  the  writer's  experience. 
He  had  planned  his  entire  excursion  several  months  before 
setting  out,  with  the  times  of  arrival  and  departure  for 
each  country  that  he  expected  to  visit ;  and  until  reaching 
Europe,  where  his  plans  were  intentionally  left  uncertain, 
he  was  scarcely  a  day  out  of  time  at  any  stage  of  the  jour- 
ney. .  He  had  arranged  to  be  at  Calcutta  on  the  1st  of  De- 
cember, to  spend  that  month  and  the  following  (the  only 
two  months  suitable  for  traveling)  in  India,  and  was  there 
on  the  3d,  having  accomplished  his  plans  of  travel  in  Ja- 
pan and  China  with  equal  precision.  Nearly  six  months 
before  leaving  home  he  had  appointed  to  spend  the  first 
week  of  January,  1870,  in  the  north  of  India,  to  be  pres- 
ent at  the  religious  anniversary  of  the  Week  of  Prayer. 
He  crossed  the  first  range  of  the  Himalaya  Mountains  the 
last  day  of  the  old  year,  and  about  an  hour  before  the  new 
year  commenced  alighted  at  the  home  of  a  friend  in  the 
beautiful  valley  of  the  Dehra  Doon.  He  had  engaged  to 
meet  at  Cairo,  on  the  15  th  of  February,  his  brother,  Wil- 
liam .  C.  Prime,  who  had  started  eastward  the  week  before 
he  started  west,  and  was  there  at  the  appointed  time.  His 
brother  was  detained  by  head  winds  up  the  Nile,  and  they 
did  not  meet ;  but  on  reaching  home  and  comparing  notes, 
they  had  the  satisfaction  of  learning  that  they  had  spent 
two  days  together  in  Venice  at  different  hotels,  a  few 
squares  apart,  without  knowing  it.  He  had  arranged  to  be 
in  Paris  on  the  1st  of  June,  and  was  there  on  that  day,  and 
at  home  again  punctually  at  the  end  of  the  year,  the  last 
of  July. 

The  pleasure  of  the  excursion  was  greatl}^  enhanced  to 
the  writer  by  the  presence  of  the  one  who  is  making  with 
him  the  voyage  of  life,  without  whom  it  would  not  have 
been  undertaken.     Although  an  invalid,  she  accomplished 


X  PREFACE. 

the  journey  witK  far  less  fatigue  than  was  anticipated. 
They  enjoyed,  during  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  the  very' 
pleasant  company  of  B.  B.  Atterbury,  Esq.,  his  daughter 
and  son,  Miss  Mary  Parsons,  and  Mr.  Kilian  Yan  Eensse- 
laer,  all  of  New  York,  who  also  made  the  entire  circuit. 
Many  agreeable  traveling  companions,  of  numerous  nation- 
alities, were  met  with  by  the  way.  To  speak  of  all  the 
pleasures  and  courtesies  received  from  friends  resident  in 
the  countries  visited  would  require  a  separate  volume.  It 
is  already  written  in  our  hearts — but  not  to  be  published. 

For  the  encouragement  of  future  travelers  around  the 
world,  it  is  well  to  state  that  the  journey  was  made  with- 
out accident  of  any  kind ;  without  the  occurrence  of  se- 
rious illness  to  any  of  the  party;  without  missing  a  steam- 
er or  a  train ;  without  detention  for  a  single  day,  scarcely 
for  an  hour ;  and  without  the  loss  of  the  most  trifling  arti- 
cle of  baggage.  More  than  once  were  we  in  peril  on  the 
land  and  on  the  sea,  but  under  the  care  of  a  kind  and 
watchful  Providence  we  made  the  circuit  of  the  earth  and 
returned  to  our  home  in  safety,  all  the  objects  of  our  jour- 
ney attained — health,  pleasure,  instruction — and  a  world  of 
information  concerning  many  lands  and  people  gathered, 
which  will  be  a  life-long  source  of  enjoyment. 


CONTENTS. 


J-'  PAGE 

NEW  YORK  TO  SALT  LAKE 17-24 

Early  Voyages  around  the  World. — Magellan,  Drake. — Pacific  Railroad. — Palace 
Cars.— The  Mississippi. — The  Missouri.— Omaha. — Meeting  a  Train.— Indians. 
— Prairie-dog  Villages. — Cheyenne. — Laramie  City.— Sabbath  on  the  Plain. — 
Rocky  Moimtains.- Echo  and  Weber  Caflons. — Devil's  Gate. 

Illubteation  :  Prairie-dog  Village,  22. 

II. 

THE  MORMONS 25-35 

Uintah  Station.— Stage  Ride.— Salt  Lake  Valley.— Wonderful  Fertility.— Irriga- 
tion.—Salt  Lake  City.— Brigham  Young. — Mormon  System.— The  People.— Con- 
dition of  the  Women.— Joe  Smith's  Sons.— United  States  Troops.— Tabernacle. 
—Temple. — Fugitives. 

Illustration  :  View  on  Salt  Lake,  25. 

III. 

CALIFORNIA 35-45 

Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.- Union  Pacific  Railroad.- Cape  Horn.- Importance 
of  Pacific  Railroad.— Darien  Canal.— Reaching  San  Francisco  on  Time. — Review 
of  Journey.— A  magnificent  City.— Furs  in  Augtist— Seal  Rock. — Climate  of 
California.— No  Rain  in  Summer.— Fruits :  Grapes,  Figs,  and  Pomegranates. 
Illustration  :  On  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  36. 

IV. 

THE  YOSEMITE  VALLEY  AND  THE  BIG  TREES 46-68 

Few  Visitors  from  California.— Severe  Journey. — How  to  go. — San  Joaquin  Valley. 

— Garrote.— Horseback  Ride ^Mrs.  Gobin. — Descent  into  the  Yosemite  Valley. 

— Mr.  Colfax.— Hntcliings's  Hotel.— Yosemite  Fall.— Sentinel  Rock ^Domes.— 

Bridal  Veil.— Mirror  Lake. — Vernal  and  Nevada  Falls.— Trout  Fishing.— Inspi- 
ration Point.— The  Big  Trees.— Fruit-ranches. 
Illustrations  :  View  of  the  Yosemite,  46.— Yosemite  Fall,  53.— Fall  of  the  Bridal 
Veil,  55.— Cathedral  Rocks,  56.— Mirror  Lake,  5T.— Vernal  Fall,  58. 

V. 

ON  THE  PACIFIC 69-S5 

Steam-ship  Japan.— Sabbath  Services.— Not  meeting  the  Steamer. — Flying  Fish, 
—Lunar  Rainbow.— "The  Ocean  Wave"  Newspaper. — Chinese  Concert. — Trial 
of  the  Parser.— Dropping  a  Day. — Where  does  the  Day  begin  ? 
Illustration  :  Flying  Fish,  72. 


xfi  CONTEXTS. 

'  -i-  PACE 

EXCURSIONS  IN  JAPAN S5-109 

First  View  of  Japan. — Gulf  of  Yeddo. — Typhoon. — Yokohama.— Coolies.— Excur- 
sion to  Daiboots. — Kauagawa.— The  Bamboo. — Japanese  Ponies. — Beautiful 
Scenery. — Statue  at  Daiboots. — Going  to  Yeddo. — The  Yakonins. — Bettoes. — 
The  Tokaido. — Yeddo. — Niphon  Hotel. — Japanese  Guard. — Temples. — Rev.  Mr. 
Verbeck. — Book-stores. — Atangoreama. — Tycoon's  Palace. — Shiba. 
Illustrations:  Entrance  to  the  Gulf  of  Yeddo,  86. — Japanese  Temple,  91. — Vil- 
lage Life  in  Japan,  93. — Statue  at  Daiboots,  95.— Bettoes,  99. — Japanese  Kango, 
101.— Japanese  Resting,  102.— Tea-garden  near  Y'eddo,  103.— Belfry  in  Court- 
yard of  Temple,  106. 

VII. 

JAPAN  AND  THE  JAPANESE 110-125 

Territory.— Mikado.— Daimios. — Kinsats  and  Nvboos.— Foreign  Intercourse.— 
Character  of  the  People.— Politeness. — Ladies'  Dress.— Obi.  — Dyeing  Teeth 
black.— Shaving  Heads.— Sandals. — Peculiar  Customs.— Painting  and  Drawing. 
— Porcelain  and  Lacquer-ware.— Inlaying  of  Metals.— Beggars.— Saki.— Execu- 
tions.—Burial.— Religions.— Shintooism.— Buddhism.— Confucianism.— Chris- 
tianity.  —Prospects. 
Illustrations:  Japanese  Saluting,  115.— Female  Hair  -  dresser,  116.— Japanese 
Horse-shoe  and  Saddle,  119.— Group  of  Horses,  119.— Athletes,  120.— Behead- 
ing, 122. 

VIII. 

INLAND  SEA  OP  JAPAN 126-132 

Suwonada.  —  Three  Thousand  Islands.  —  Cones.  —  Hiogo.  —Osaka.  —  Tokaido.  — 

Straits  of  Siraoni-saki.— Panorama  of  Islands. — Pappenberg.— Nagasaki.— Gale 

in  Eastern  China  Sea. — Y''anktse-kiang  River. 
Illcstratiot^s  :  View  in  the  Inland  Sea,  126.— Entering  the  Inland  Sea,  128.— 

Pappenberg  Island,  130. 

IX. 

SHANGHAI  TO  HONG  KONG 132-144 

Approaching  Shanghai. — Woosung  River.— Chinese  Forts.— War-junks.— City  of 
Shanghai.— Taeping  Rebels. — Foreign  Town. — Wheelbarrows.- Chinese  City. 
— Filth  and  Smells.— Chinese  Criminals.— Modes  of  Punishment- Duke  of  Ed- 
inburg. — International  Boat-race;  Americans  victorious. — Pekin.— Nankin. — 
Suwonada  Steamer. — Hong  Kong. — Happy  Valley. — Victoria  Peak. — Schools. — 
Pigeon  English. — Colonial  Prison. — Motto  on  Post-office. 
Illustrations  ;  Chinese  Trading-junk,  133.— Chinese  Punishment,  137. — Chinese 
Temple,  139.— Hong  Kong,  141. 

X. 

CANTON  AND  ITS  SIGHTS 144-159 

Early  Commerce.  — Steamer. —Bogne  Forts.  —  Pearl  River. —Villages.  —  Pawn- 
brokers.—  Pagodas. — Whampoa. — River -population. — Boats. — Streets. — Shah- 
Miu. — Streets  of  Canton.— Fan  -  kwai.— Puntinqua  Garden.— Temples. — Mer- 
maid.—Five  Hundred  Gods. — Priests.— Honam.— Chinese  Dress.— Processions. 
— Funeral. 
Illustrations  :  Chinese  Pagoda,  146. — Fort  near  Canton,  149. — Sedan  Chair,  150. 

XL 

CHINESE  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS 160-172 

What  they  eat— Birds'  Nests.— Dog-markets.— Rats.—Porkers.-Fruits.-Small 
Feet.— Tea ;  Growth.— Black  and  Green,  how  prepared.— Contrarieties  of  the 


CONTEXTS.  xiii 

Chinese.— Dress.— Language.— Coffins.— Competitivp  Examinations  a  Key  to 
Chinese  Character. 
Illustration  :  Chinese  Small  Foot,  163.  , 

•A.11.  PAGE 

RELIGIONS  OF  CHINA 173-183 

Confucianism.  —  Buddhism.  —  Tauism.  —  Superstition.  — Ancestral  Worship.  — 

Cheating  the  Gods.— Inferior  Gods.— Christianity  in  China.— Effect  of  Opium 

War. — Example  of  irreligious  Foreigners. — Difficulty  of  acquiring  the  Language. 

— ^"hat  Christian  Missionaries  have  accomplished.— Medical  Missionaries.— Dr. 

Kerr. — Oliphant  &  Co. 
Illcstkatios  :  Casting  Lots  before  a  God,  1T5. — Prince  Kung,  17T. 

XIII. 

MACAO,  SINGAPORE,  AND  PENANG 183-203 

Stories  of  Pirates. — Portuguese  at  Macao. — Assassination  of  Amiral.— Churches. 
— Our  Lady  of  Sorrow. — Camoens's  Garden.— Captain  Endicott. — Hon.  Caleb 
Cushiug.— Leaving  for  Calcutta. — Steamers. — The  Hindostan.— Captain,  Crew, 
and  Passengers. — The  Monsoon. — A  Storm. — Walter  M.  Lowrie.— 180th  Degree. 
— Singapore  a  Paradise.— Cocoanuts,  Nutmegs,  Cinnamon,  etc. — Gardens.- Mr, 
P.  Yoakim. — Rev.  Mr.  Keasbury.— Rev.  Mr.  Grant.— Major  Malan. — Straits  of 
Malacca.  —  Penang.  — Rev.  Mr.  Macdonald.  —  Chinese.  — Mahomet  Noordin.  — 

Tropical  Vegetation Boa  Constrictors.— Bay  of  Bengal. — Turtles. — Snakes. — 

East  Indiamen. 
Illcsteations  :  Macao,  185.— Coolie  Barracoons  at  Macao,  187. 

XIV. 

CALCUTTA 203-221 

Hoogly  River.— Lady  seized  by  Tiger.— Palms  and  Acacias. — Banyan  Tree.— 
Palace  of  ex-King  of  Onde.— Scene  at  Lauding.— Spence's  Hotel.— Hindoo  Serv- 
ants.—Aroused  by  Jackals.— Crows,  Kites,  and  Adjutants.— "City  of  Palaces." 
— Maidan.— Gay  Sceue.— Residences.— Public  Buildings.— Tanks. — Watering 
Streets. — Institutions.— Colleges. — Asiatic  Society. — American  Zenana  Mission. 
■Serampore.— Carey, Ward,  Marshman,  Judson,  Henry  Martyn,  Dr.  George  Smith. 
— Hindoo  Festival. 
Illusteatioh  :  Entrance  to  the  Hoogly,  204. 

XV. 

GOVERNMENT  OF  INDIA  ;  ELTfOPE ANS,  ETC 221-234 

Antiquity  of  the  Nation.— Alexander  the  Great— East  India  Company.— Present 
Rulers.— Viceroy. — Education. — I^uiversity,  Colleges,  and  Schools.— Complicity 
with  Idolatry.— European  Population.— Eurasians. — Heat.— Punkas. — Living. 
— Rainfall.— Sand-storms. — American  Ice. 
Illcbtbation  t  A  Sand-storm,  233. 

x\a 

PUBLIC  WORKS,  PRODUCTIONS,  ETC 234-243 

Roads.— Canals.— Telegraph.— Railways.— Opium.— The  Poppy.— Preparing  the 
Drug.— Opium  Market. 

XVII. 

THE  NATIVES  OF  INDIA;  CASTE,  ETC 244-254 

Native  Society.  —  Hindoos.  —Mohammedans.  —  Sikhs.  —  Parsees.  —  Costumes — 
Jewels.  —  Women  of  India.  —Native  Wealth.  —  Food.  — Caste.  —Brahmins. — 
Kshatryas. — Vaishyas. — Sudras. — Breaking  Caste. — Pariahs. 


xiy  CONTENTS. 

XVIII. 

CALCUTTA  TO  BENARES 254-270 

Leaving  Calcutta.— Grand  Durbar.— Uowrah.— East  India  Railway.— Cold  Nights. 
—Scenery.— Plain  of  India.— Mogul-Serai.— The  Ilindoo  Iloly  City.— Monkey 
Temple.— The  Ganges.- Man  Mandil.— Grand  Mosque.— Ghauts.— Brahminy 
Bnlls.— Burning  the  Dead.— Rajah  of  Benares.— Elephant  Ride.— Golden  Tem- 
ple.—The  Ancient  City. 
Illustrations  :  The  Grand  Mosque,  262.— Burning  the  Dead,  203.- A  Hindoo 
Temple,  268.— Ruins  near  Benraes,  2T0. 

XIX. 

BENARES  TO  ALLAHABAD 2T1-281 

Crossing  the  Ganges  by  Moonlight.— Chunar.— Goddess  Kali.— Thugs.— Discov- 
ery and  Suppression. —Major  Sleeman'sNarrative.— The  Jumna  at  Allahabad.— 
Railroad  Bridge.— Rev.  Mr.  Walsh. —The  City  of  God.— Fortress.— Great  Mela. 
—Pilgrims.— raquirs.—Governmeut  Connection  with  Idolatry. 

XX. 

THE  MUTINY ;  CAWNPORE  AND  LUCKNOW 281-296 

Diversity  of  Opinions.— Anniversary  of  Battle  of  Plassey.— Greased  Cartridges.— 
Chupatties.  —  Outbreak  at  Duudum.  —Meerut.  —  Delhi.  —Allahabad.— Agra.- 
Cawnpore.— Nana  Sahib.— General  Wheeler.— Massacre  of  Soldiers.- Massacre 
of  Women  and  Children.— Well  at  Cawnpore.— Memorial  Garden.— Monument. 
—Massacre  of  Missionaries.— Suttee  Chowra  Ghaut.— Luckuow.— King  of  Oude. 
—Residency.— The  Siege.— Havelock.— Sir  Henry  Lawrence.— Persian  News- 
paper.— "Voyage  round  the  World." 

XXI. 

AGRA  AND  THE  TAJ 296-310 

Only  Rain  in  India.— East  Indian  Hotel.— Bed  and  Bedding.— Fort  and  Palace.— 
Heavy  Cannon.- Pearl  Mosque.— The  Taj.— Gateway.— Park.— Shah  Jehan.— 
Noor  Mahal.— Mosque  and  Jowab.— Cost  of  Buildiug.—Terraces.— Minarets.— 
Description.— Interior.— Sarcophagi.— Inscriptions.— Song  and  Echo.— Chris- 
tian Village  at  Secundra.- Tomb  of  Akbar.— His  Palaces  and  Wealth.— Arrested 
for  Stealing. 
Illustration  :  The  Taj  {Frontispiece),  301. 

XXIL 

DELHI 311-320 

Old  Delhi.— Shah  Jehan. — Gates. — Chandnee  Chowk.— Fortress.— Diwan-a-im. — 
Diwan-i-khas.  —  Peacock  Throne.  —  The  Palace. — Jumma  Musjid.  —  Kootub- 
Minar.— Iron  Pillar.— Divers.— Ruins.— Rev.  James  Smith. — Blowing  up  the 
Magazine. — Post-office  at  Delhi. 

XXIII. 

AMONG  THE  HIMALAYAS 320-328 

Saharunpur.— Presbyterian  Mission. — Government  Stud.— Omnibuckus. — Horses. 
— Road  over  Sewalic  Range.— Drawn  by  Coolies.— Leopards.— Tiger-hunting. — 
Doctor  Fayrer.— Duke  of  Edinburg.— Wild  Elephants.— Suakes.-Valley  of 
Dehra  Doon.— Rev.  Mr.Woodside. 

XXIV. 

ON  THE  HIMALAYAS 328-336 

Ascending  the  Mountain. — Jhanpan. — Monkeys.— Wild  Peacocks. — Mussoorie. — 


CONTENTS.  XV 

Landour.— View  from  the  Summit.— Thibet  and  Cashmere.— Dr.  Kellett.— The 
Sabbath. — Meneely's  Bell. — Tea  Plantations.— Praying  Machine. — Pacific  Kail- 
road.  —  Week  of  Prayer.  — Amballa.  —  Rev.  Dr.  Morrison.  —  Lodiana.  —  Cabool 
Princes. — The  Koh-i-noor  Diamond  ;  its  History. 
Illusteations  :  A  Gorge  in  the  Himalayas,  320.— A  Praying  Machine,  333. 

LODIANA  TO  BOMBAY 336-343 

Suttee  at  Cavvnpore. — Jubbulpore. — Colony  of  Thugs. — Journey  by  Dak-gharry. 

—  The  Nerbudda.  —  Wild  Horses.  —  Night  Journey.  —  The  Jungle.  —  Tigers 

Loading  Revolver.  —  An  Accident.  —  Dak  -  bungalows.  —  Nagpore.  —  Mahratta 
Country.— Cotton.— Egutpoora.— Tunnels. 

XXVI. 

BOMBAY 343-350 

Island  of  Bombay.  —  Portuguese  Colony.  —  Harbor.  —  Population.  —  Varieties  of 

Races.— Buildings.— Parsees.— Towers  of  Silence.— Malabar  Hill Burning  the 

Dead.— Caves  of  Elephanta.— Mr.  Kittredge.— Buddhist  Monastery  at  Kenhari. 
—Dr.  Bhau  Daji.— Indian  Jugglers.— Cocoanut  Grove.— Hospital  for  Animals. 
Illustbation  :  A  Bullock  Carriage,  345. 

XXVII. 

BOMBAY  TO  CAIRO 350-361 

Leaving  India.— British  Rule. — Fearful  Scene  at  Sea :  two  Men  overboard.— Aden. 
—Broad-tail  Sheep.— Red  Sea.— Straits  of  Bab-el-Mandeb.— Constellation  of  the 
Southern  Cross.— Mocha. — Abyssinian  Hero.— Djiddah,  Port  of  Mecca.— Gale.— 

Suez.— Crossing  of  the  Israelites.- Dr.  Robinson.— The  Suez  Canal Chartering 

a  Steamer.— Ismailia.— Reaching  Cairo.— Shepheard's  Hotel Strange  Cham- 
bermaid. 
Illdstuations  :  Suez,  355.— Night  on  the  Canal,  359. 

XXVIII. 

CAIRO  TO  JERUSALEM 362-375 

The  Citadel.— Caliphs  and  Mamelukes.— Old  Cairo.— Memphis.— The  Nile.— Pyra- 
mids and  Sphinx.— Backshish.-Leaving  Cairo.— Meeting  Friends.— Alexan- 
dria.—Catacombs.— Pompey's  Pillar.— Alexandrian  Library.— Light-house  of 
Pharos.- Bound  for  the  Holy  Land.— Port  Said.— Englishmen.— Experience  In 
Loudon.— Americans  abroad — Eftects  of  our  War.— Reaching  Jafl'a.— Orange 
Groves.— Russian  Convent  at  Ramleh.— Muezzin's  Call  to  Prayer.— The  Sab- 
bath.— Going  up  to  Jerusalem.— Mediterranean  Hotel. 
ILLUSTEATIONS :  The  Pyramids,  364.— A  Street  in  Cairo,  365. 

XXIX 

THE  HOLY  CITY t ." 375-388 

The  Road  to  Calvary.— Pilate's  House.— Via  Dolorosa Chapel  of  the  Flagella- 
tion.—Arch  of  Ecce  Homo.— Houses  of  Dives  and  Lazarus.— Church  of  Holy 
Sepulchre.— Stone  of  Unction.— The  Sepulchre.— Hill  of  Calvary.— Chapel  of  St. 
Helena.— Invention  of  the  Cross.— Latin  Chapel.— Vesper  Service.— Father  An- 
tonio.—Mount  Zion.— Bishop  Gobat.— Jews' Wailing  Place.— Mosque  of  Omar. 
—Temple  of  Solomon.— Gate  called  Beantiful.—Gethsemane.— Mount  of  Olives. 
—King  David's  Flight.— Bethlehem.— Bethany.— Valley  of  the  Jordan.— At- 
tacked by  Bedouins.— Sabbath  in  Jerusalem. 
Illustkations  :  Via  Dolorosa,  376.— Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  377.— The 
Beautiful  Gate,  383.— Jerusalem  and  Gethsemane,  384. 


Xvi  CONTENTS. 

XXX. 

PAGE 

TO  DAMASCUS  AND  CONSTANTINOPLE 389-401 

Desolation  of  the  Holy  Land. — Leaving  Jerusalem. — Robberies. — Ramleh. — Jaflfa. 
— Mount  Carmel. — Beyrout. — Messrs.  Goodell  and  Bird.— Druses. — Army  expect- 
ed from  China. — Massacre  of  ISGO.— Grandeur  of  Lebanon Leaving  for  Damas- 
cus.— Diligence. — French  Road. — Valley  of  Ccelo-Syria. — River  Abana.— Damas- 
cus.— Street  called  Straight. — Rev.  Mr.  Crawford.— Abd- el- Kader. — Khans. — 
Mohammed. — Mount  Hernion. — Sturza.— Cloud  of  Locusts. — Leaving  Beyrout. — 
Cyprus.— Rhodes.-Patmos.— Smyrua.—Polycarp.— Mytilene. — Teuedos.— Dar- 
danelles.—Gallipoli.—Stamboul. 
Illustrations  :  Beyrout,  392. — Damascus,  398.— Patmos,  400. 

XXXI. 

STAMBOUL  TO  NAPLES 402-417 

Storms  at  Constantinople;  SnovF,  Rain,  Mud.— Political  State  of  Turkey.— Prog- 
ress among  the  People. — Armenians. — Bibles. — Dr.  Hamlin.— Robert  College. 
—Leaving  Stamboul.— Sea  of  Marmora. — Turkish  Naval  Oiiicers.— Lauding  at 
Night. — The  Pirseus. — Athens.— The  Acropolis Mars  Hill.— The  Puyx.— Mar- 
athon.— Party  murdered  by  Brigands. — Syra. — Cape  Matapan. — Navarino. — 
Cephalonia. — Zante. — Gulf  of  Corfu. — Brindisi. — Banditti. — Entering  Naples. — 
Beggars. — Bay  df  Naples ;  Vesuvius,  Sorrento,  Pozzuoli,  Baioe,  Cumw,  Lake 
Avernus,  River  Styx,  Elysian  Fields. — Herculaueum  and  Pompeii. — National 
Museum.— Cemeteries  of  Naples. 
Illustration:  Frieze  of  the  Parthenon,  40T. 

XXXII. 

ROME  TO  FLORENCE 418-436 

Old  Route  to  Rome. — Terracina.— Roman  Frontier.— Passports.— Illumination  at 
Rome.— Present  at  two  Councils. — Pius  IX.  and  Herod. — Arch  of  Titus. — Sacred 
Vessels  of  the  Jewish  Temple.— The  Pantheon. — Anecdote  of  Charles  V. — Bar- 
berini. — Raphael's  Skull. — The  Tiber.— Overflow.— Catacombs:  Origin;  St.  Se- 
bastian and  St. Agnese;  Bodies;  Inscriptions.— Sun  shining  ou  Rome. — Flor- 
ence.— View  from  San  Miniato. — UfEzi  and  Pitti  Palaces. — Pisa,  Leaning  Tower, 
Galileo. — Chandelier.— Victor  Emanuel. — Waldeuses. — Religious  Liberty. 
Illustrations:  Ground-plan  of  the  Catacombs,  428.— Florence,  from  San  Min- 
iato, 434. 

XXXIII. 

VENICE  HOMEWARD 436-465 

Piercing  the  Apennines.— City  of  the  Sea.— How  to  enjoy  Venice. — Moonlight  and 
Midnight.— Bell  of  San  Marco.— Vienna.— Change  in  Goverumeut.— Mausoleum 
of  Capncin  Church Duke  of  Reichstadt— Maximilian.— Prague.— "The  Bo- 
hemian Fashion."— Tycho  Brahe.—Huss.— Jerome.— Dresden.— Berlin.— Char- 
lottenberg.— Wittenberg. — Luther  and  Melancthon.— Ninety-five  Theses.— Pots- 
dam.—Frederick  the  Great.— Cologne.— Cathedral.— The  Rhine.— Worms.— 
Weissenberg.— Strasbourg. — The  Siege. — The  War.— Nancy,  Bar  le  Due,  etc. — 
Paris.  —  London.  —  Isle  of  Wight.  —  England.  —  Scotland.  —  Ireland. —Atlantic 
Ocean.— Home  again. 
Illustration  :  Biugeu  on  the  Rhine,  448. 


AROUND   THE  WORLD. 


I. 

NEW  YOKK  TO  SALT  LAKE. 

A  jorENET  around  the  world  is  a  very  different  under- 
taking to-day  from  what  it  was  when  Magellan  set  his  prow 
toward  the  setting  sun,  and  sailed  onward — onward — until, 
with  the  rising  sun,  his  ships  returned  to  the  harbor  of  Se- 
ville. It  does  not  appear  to  have  been  well  established, 
even  among  scientific  men  of  that  day,  that  the  earth  was 
round,  and  those  who  admitted  the  truth  seem  to  ha^•e  had  a 
strong  apprehension  that  it  would  not  be  safe  for  naviga- 
tors to  venture  too  far  over  the  other  side ;  they  might  not 
be  able  to  make  their  way  up  again.  The  ships,  too,  in 
which  these  earlv  vova^-ers  ventured  out  into  unknown  seas 
were  mere  shallops  compared  with  those  which  now  trav- 
erse every  ocean.  The  vessels  in  which  Columbus  first 
crossed  the  Atlantic  are  said  to  have  been  not  more  than  a 
hundred  tons  burden — less  than  half  the  tonnage  of  the 
pleasure  yachts  whose  safe  passage  over  the  same  ocean 
within  a  few  years  has  been  accounted  a  great  nautical  ex- 
ploit. The  ships  of  Magellan,  which  were  the  first  to  com- 
pass the  globe,  were  two  of  130  tons,  two  of  90,  and  one  of 
60.  When,  nearly  half  a  century  later,  Sir  Francis  Drake 
left  the  shores  of  England  to  sail  around  the  world,  the  five 
ships  that  composed  his  fleet  numbered  respectively  100, 
80,  50,  30,  and  15  tons.  To  attempt  to  cross  any  ocean  at 
the  present  dav  in  such  vessels,  much  more  to  brave  all  the 

B 


18 


AROUND  TEE  WOELD. 


perils  of  tlie  Eastern  Seas,  would  be  accounted  a  piece  of 
reckless  hardihood.  The  heroism  of  those  early  navigators 
of  unexplored  seas  is  beyond  all  praise. 

For  two  centuries  after  it  was  iirst  accomplished,  the 
voyage  around  the  world  was  not  made  within  less  than 
three  years.  This  was  the  time  consumed  by  the  ships  of 
Magellan.  He,  unfortunately,  did  not  live  to  share  in  the 
final  glory  of  the  achievement  due  to  his  genius  and  hero- 
ism, having  fallen  in  a  conflict  with  the  natives  of  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands  the  second  year  out.  Sir  Francis  Drake  was 
three  years  in  sailing  round.  Captain  Cook  was  three 
years  in  making  each  of  his  voyages  ;  and  the  last,  in  which 
lie  also  fell  by  the  hands  of  savages,  extended  to  four  years. 
I^ow  the  circuit  is  a  mere  holiday  excursion,  and  may  be 
made  in  less  than  three  months. 

It  was  to  me  a  coincidence  of  some  interest  that  the  day 
(August  1, 1869)  on  which  I  had  completed  all  my  arrange- 
ments for  the  journey  of  which  some  account  is  given  in 
the  pages  following  was  precisely  three  hundred  and  fifty 
years  from  that  on  which  the  first  circumnavigator  of  the 
globe  left  the  harbor  of  Seville.  My  plans  for  the  journey  had 
been  definitely  made  several  months  before,  and  a  complete 
programme  of  the  entire  tour  prepared,  including  every 
country  that  I  expected  to  visit,  and  almost  every  day  of 
the  year.  I  was  desirous  to  leave  immediately  on  the  open- 
ing of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  but  I  delayed  in  order  to  reach 
the  Japan  and  China  Seas  at  a  period  of  the  year  when 
they  are  free  from  the  typhoons  which  sweep  over  them 
with  destructive  violence  during  the  summer  months,  and 
also  to  reach  India  just  at  the  beginning  of  winter,  the 
only  season  in  which  a  stranger  can  travel  there  with  com- 
fort or  safety.  The  appointed  time  having  arrived,  we  left 
New  York  by  the  New  Jersey  Central  Railroad,  and  on  the 
evening  of  the  following  day  were  in  Chicago,  where  we 
spent  the  night.  I  had  telegraphed  in  advance  for  accom- 
modations in  the  Pullman  Pacific  cars,  which  at  that  time 
were  running  regularly  no  farther  east  than  Chicago.     On 


^'I:W  YORE  TO  SALT  LAKE.  19 

reaching  the  station  of  the  jSTorthwestern  Road  the  next 
morning,  -I  was  most  agreeably  sui-prised  to  find  that  Mr. 
Pulhnan  had  set  apart  for  the  exclusive  use  of  our  party 
one  of  his  finest  palace  cars — the  "  Promontory,"  then  en- 
tirely new ;  and  that,  to  add  still  farther  to  the  pleasure  of 
the  excursion,  the  secretary  of  the  company,  Mr.  Charles  AV. 
Angell,  in  whom  I  recognized  a  former  friend,  had  made 
his  arrangements  to  accompany  us  as  far  as  Omaha,  five 
hundred  miles  on  the  way,  to  see  us  safely  across  the  Mis- 
souri Eiver  and  out  on  the  broad  prairie.  These  moving 
palaces  have  now  become  familiar  to  the  traveling  world, 
but  at  the  time  we  entered  the  "  Promontory"  it  was  an 
event  to  find  ou  wheels  and  to  take  with  us  a  luxurious 
home — a  parlor  by  day,  and  ample  staterooms  by  night,  in 
which  we  lived  and  slept  with  as  much  comfort  as  in  a  ho- 
tel. And  I  may  here  add  that  in  no  other  part  of  the 
world  did  we  find,  either  on  land  or  on  sea,  such  luxurious 
accommodations,  or  travel  in  so  much  ease.  We  would 
gladly  have  taken  the  same  mode  of  conveyance  all  the 
way  round. 

We  crossed  the  Mississippi  by  the  high  bridge  at  Fulton, 
and  entered  what  then  appeared  to  be  the  granary  of  the 
West.  The  summer  of  1869  had  been  so  wet  that  from 
the  time  of  leaving  New  Jersey  we  did  not  see  one  fine 
field  of  Indian  corn  until  we  entered  Iowa,  and  the  wheat 
crop  had  also  been  severely  affected ;  but  almost  immedi- 
ately after  we  crossed  the  Mississippi  the  corn-fields  of  the 
West  assumed  their  traditional  grandeur,  and  the  whole 
country  had  a  new  face.  In  the  evening  M'e  had  an 
illumination  of  our  car,  which  was  abundantly  supplied 
with  lamps,  concealed  in  the  day  by  mirrors.  Two  Har- 
vard students,  bound  westward  on  a  hunting  expedition 
upon  the  prairies,  called,  and  spent  the  evening  with  us, 
and  it  passed  away  as  rapidly  as  the  train.  Our  first  night 
on  the  palace  car  was  one  of  quiet  repose,  and  the  morning 
brought  us  to  Council  Bluffs,  on  the  Missouri,  where  we 
M'ere  ferried  over  to  Omaha,  the  bridge  at  this  point  being 


20  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

then  in  course  of  erection.  Here  we  bade  farewell  to  our 
escort,  and  struck  out  into  the  wide  regions  of  the  West, 
speeding  onward  and  onward — one  hundred  miles  after  an- 
other— never  ascending  a  perceptible  elevation,  and  scarce- 
ly ever  deviating  from  a  straight  line. 

At  North  Bend,  on  the  Platte  Kiver,  we  spoke  a  trahi 
from  San  Francisco  bound  east.  It  was  like  meeting  a 
ship  in  mid-ocean.  There  was  no  little  excitement  as  we 
descried  each  other  in  the  distance  across  the  prairie ;  and 
when  we  halted  at  the  station  I  displayed  the  Stars  and 
Stripes,  which  I  carried  not  so  much  for  protection  as  for 
dear  remembrance  in  the  many  and  far-distant  lands  that 
we  Avere  to  visit.  We  had  a  few  moments  of  hasty  con- 
versation and  inquiry  for  the  news  from  either  direction, 
and  when  the  passengers  by  the  other  train  learned  that  we 
also  were  bound  for  New  York,  but  by  way  of  the  setting 
sun,  they  sent  up  three  hearty  cheers  for  the  old  flag  and 
for  the  party  that  was  to  bear  it  around  the  world.  Amid 
our  answering  cheers  the  trains  moved  off,  east  and  west, 
and  were  soon  lost  to  each  other  in  the  distance. 

Late  in  the  day,  after  dining  at  Grand  Island,  I  went 
out  on  the  engine  to  enjoy  the  excitement  of  scudding  over 
the  wide  ocean  of  land.  We  were  then  beyond  the  sight 
of  homes,  and  the  stations  on  the  road  were  few  and  far 
between.  We  overtook  a  troop  of  horses  that  were  roam- 
ing wild  over  the  prairie.  As  they  saw  the  train  approach- 
ing they  selected  the  track  for  a  race-course,  and  started  for 
the  Pacific  Ocean  at  the  top  of  their  speed.  But  the  iron 
horse  was  too  much  for  them.  Every  now  and  then  we 
overhauled  the  coursers,  when  the  shrill  whistle  of  the  en- 
gine, instead  of  driving  them  from  the  track,  only  inspired 
them  with  new  vigor,  and  imparted  fresh  speed.  A  stern 
chase  is  usually  a  long  chase,  but  we  ran  them  down,  and 
they  struck  out  into  the  prairie  right  and  left.  Then  we 
came  upon  a  flock  of  prairie  birds,  which  seemed  possessed 
with  the  idea  that  they  could  not  escape  from  the  lines  of 
telegraph  poles  and  wires  on  either  side  of  the  railroad 


NEW  YORK  TO  SALT  LAKE.  21 

track,  and  for  a  long  time  we  kept  them  company ;  but  at 
length  they  also  disappeared,  and  we  had  the  com-se  all  to 
ourselves,  and  improved  it  well.  The  ride  was  exciting, 
without  fear  of  danger  ou  the  level  plain,  and  as  we  haul- 
ed up  at  the  next  station,  the  engineer  took  out  his  watch, 
and,  turning  to  me,  said,"  One  hour  and  five  minutes."  On 
my  asking  how  many  miles  we  had  run  between  the  two 
stations,  he  said  "  Forty."  And  yet,  so  perfectly  level,  and 
straight,  and  smooth  was  the  road,  that  I  had  sat  upon  the 
engine  with  as  much  ease  as  in  the  car. 

At  Plum  Creek,  where  we  were  detained  half  an  hour 
by  a  heated  axle,  we  found  150  United  States  soldiers  sta- 
tioned to  guard  the  road  against  the  Indians.  I  called  on 
the  commanding  officer  at  his  tent  near  by,  and  learned 
from  him  that  a  band  of  hostile  Indians  had  crossed  the 
track  a  few  nights  before,  about  four  miles  below.  Of 
course  I  communicated  the  pleasing  intelligence  to  the  la- 
dies, whose  chief  terror  in  undertaking  the  journey  had 
been  the  wild  Indians  on  the  Pacific  Railroad.  But,  to  re- 
assure them  (as  none  of  us  had  any  extra  hair  that  we  wish- 
ed to  lose),  I  got  out  my  revolvei',  and,  lest  some  one  should 
be  hurt,  took  the  precaution  not  to  load  the  dangerous  weap- 
on, and  no  hostile  savages  made  their  appearance  that  night. 

The  next  morning  broke  upon  us  nearly  500  miles  west 
from  Omaha.  We  were  then  ascending  the  Black  Hills, 
the  highest  elevation  on  the  Pacific  Road,  the  station  at 
Sherman  being  8264  feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  coun- 
try was  beginning  to  assume  the  air  of  desolation  which 
marks  the  Great  American  Desert.  On  all  sides  were  roll- 
ing hilk,  to  which  the  antelopes  that  we  scared  up  in  great 
numbers  bounded  off  with  the  fleetness  of  the  wind,  after 
pausing  for  a  moment  to  examine  the  cars.  They  were 
frequently  within  rifle-shot.  Whole  counties  of  prairie-dog 
villages  skirted  the  road,  the  curious  little  animals  usually 
sitting  bolt  upright  on  their  haunches,  like  statues,  on  the 
tops  of  their  houses,  or  scampering  away  as  we  passed  their 
towns. 


22 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


rr.AIKIE-UOli   VILLAGE. 


Clievenne  was  at  that  time  the  most  populous  city  on  the 
line  of  the  road  west  of  Omaha,  although  it  was  less  than 
two  years  old.  On  account  of  its  relative  importance,  we 
had  selected  it  as  the  most  desirable  place  for  stopping  to 
spend  the  Sabbath.  After  breakfasting,  I  asked  one  of 
the  oldest  inhabitants,  an  intelligent-looking  youth,  what 
was  the  population  of  their  city.  He  replied  very  serious- 
ly that  about  a  year  ago  it  was  12,000,  but  they  had  shot, 
and  hung,  and  killed  so  many  it  now  numbered  only  4000. 
We  congratulated  ourselves  that  we  had  concluded  to  go 
farther  on,  and  accoixiingly,  about  noon  on  Saturday,  we 
left  the  train,  and  found  comfortable  quarters  at  the  hotel 
at  Laramie  City. 

This  place  is  situated  on  the  table-land  known  as  Lara- 
mie Plains — an  immense  plateau  71 3-4  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea,  without  a  mountain  or  hill  in  sight,  looking  north 


A^HW  YOEK  TO  SALT  LAKE.  23 

or  south,  but  with  tlie  Black  Hills  on  the  east,  and  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  with  their  perpetual  snow,  on  the  west. 
From  our  windows  we  looked  across  the  vast  plain  direct- 
ly out  into  the  deep  ether,  just  as  one  looks  across  the  ocean 
into  the  sky,  the  rotundity  of  the  earth  being  as  distinct  in 
the  one  case  as  the  other.  The  view  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, on  the  west,  was  grand  beyond  description.  They 
seemed  to  come  almost  to  our  feet,  although  they  were  in 
reality  some  60  miles  distant,  and  in  that  perfectly  clear 
atmosphere  it  was  a  calm  delight  just  to  sit  and  gaze  upon 
the  mighty  chain  with  which  the  Almighty  had  bound  to- 
gether this  vast  continent.  I  had  heard  it  said  on  the  way 
that  it  never  rains  on  Laramie  Plains,  bnt  we  had  not  been 
there  more  than  two  hours  before  the  rain  commenced 
pouring  in  torrents,  and  it  continued  to  come  down  as  abun- 
dantly for  at  least  an  hour,  giving  us  a  supply  of  wholesome 
water,  which  can  not  be  fonnd  for  a  thousand  miles  on  the 
Pacific  Railroad. 

The  Sabbath  passed  pleasantly.  In  the  morning  we  at- 
tended the  service  of  the  Rev.  Mr,  Cornell,  an  Episcopal 
missionary,  and  in  the  evening  I  addressed  an  assembly  of 
residents  and  miners,  who  filled  the  largest  public  room  in 
the  town.  At  the  close  of  the  evening  service,  man}^  whom 
we  had  met  as  perfect  strangers  gathered  round  us,  and  we 
were  detained  long  by  our  mutual  expressions  of  interest 
in  finding  that  we  had  common  sympathies  and  hopes, 
though  belonging  to  many  different  branches  of  the  Chris- 
tian famil}'.  The  place,  we  w^ere  assured,  was  not  what  it 
was  a  year  before.  It  had  been  thinned  out  by  the  process 
resorted  to  in  the  neighboring  city  of  Cheyenne.  We  heard 
accounts  of  summary  executions  ha^^ng  taken  place  in  the 
streets,  but  a  more  orderly  or  quiet  town  of  two  thousand 
inhabitants  on  a  Sunday  I  have  never  seen  in  any  part  of 
the  countr3\ 

Taking  the  train  again  at  noon  on  Monday,  we  crossed 
the  Plains,  and  commenced  tlie  ascent  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, if  ascent  it  could  be  called  when  we  passed  up  and  over 


24  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

them  so  ffi'adiiallv  that  we  did  not  know  it.  "We  had  been 
in  sight  of  the  distant  peaks  for  two  days  while  stopping 
at  Laramie  City ;  but  there  were  no  lofty  ranges  to  cross, 
and  no  mountains  towering  above  us,  until  long  after  we 
began  the  descent  on  the  other  side.  It  was  simply  a  scene 
of  wild  desolation — utter  barrenness,  as  if  the  soil  had  been 
cursed  that  it  should  not  bring  forth.  There  was  only  an 
occasional  bunch  of  wild  sage,  almost  as  dreary  looking  as 
the  barren  soil.  One  who  has  not  seen  this  portion  of  the 
Pacific  Eailroad,  and  other  portions  of  the  Great  American 
Desert  for  nearly  a  thousand  miles  in  extent,  can  form  no 
idea  of  the  dreary  waste  that  stretches  on  and  on,  until  the 
eye  longs  to  rest  on  something  fresh  and  green,  or  even  upon 
a  rock ;  for,  contrary  to  all  our  ideas  of  the  Eocky  Moun- 
tains, not  a  rock  was  to  be  seen  in  this  portion  of  the  route. 
It  was  not  until  we  entered  the  Echo  Canon  that  the 
mountains  assumed  any  grandeur ;  but  here,  and  in  the 
Weber  CaQon,  a  scene  of  wonderful  magnificence  opened 
upon  us.  On  one  hand  (the  left  in  passing  westward)  all 
is  smooth — not  a  rock  to  be  seen,  althouo-h  the  mountains 
rise  to  a  sublime  height  from  the  bed  of  the  ^Yeber  Eiver ; 
but  the  opposite  side  of  the  narrow  defile  is  composed  of 
towering  rocks,  assuming  all  forms  of  magnificent  propor- 
tions, sometimes  towering  up  in  vast  precipices  toward  the 
skies,  and  at  others  stretching  out  over  the  road,  or  assum- 
ing grotesque  shapes.  It  was  in  the  Echo  Canon  that  Brig- 
ham  Young  threatened  to  destroy  the  army  of  General 
Sidney  Johnston  by  rolling  rocks  down  upon  them  as  the}' 
marched  through  the  narrow  causeway,  when  the  army 
was  sent  to  look  after  the  Mormons.  The  passage  of  the 
ri\-er  and  the  railroad  out  of  this  weird  reojion  into  the  Salt 
Lake  Yalley  is  called  the  Devil's  Gate.  The  name  was 
given  on-  account  of  the  fearful  wildness  of  the  scenery  to 
which  it  leads,  but  it  is  equally  appropriate  as  leading  to 
the  moral  scene  to  which  it  introduces  the  traveler  as  he 
enters  the  Salt  Lake  Yalley.  Echo  City  is  the  border  town 
of  the  ]\Iormon  Territory  of  L^'tah. 


THE  MORMONS. 


25 


VIEW   ON   SALT    LAKE. 


II. 

THE  MORMONS. 

At  Uintah  Station,  about  a  mile  from  the  "Devil's 
Gate,"  we  left  the  cars  and  took  stage  for  Salt  Lake  City, 
thirty-five  miles  distant.  The  branch  railroad  was  not 
then  completed.  The  stage-road  was  rough  and  stony  for 
a  few  miles,  but  the  greatest  inconvenience  arose  from  the 
innumerable  little  streams  which  crossed  it,  as  the  means 
of  irrigating  the  whole  eastern  portion  of  the  valley.  Many 
of  these  water-courses  are  natural,  but  others  have  been 
made  by  divisions  and  subdivisions,  in  order  to  carry  the 
water  to  parts  which  could  not  otherwise  be  irrigated.  The 
streams  are  seldom  bridged,  and  the  gullies  made  in  the 
loose  soil  were  a  great  source  of  discomfort  to  the  stage 
traveler,  to  whom  they  prove  too  decidedly  anti-dyspeptic 
for  a  pleasure  excursion.     But  the  stages  and  horses  were 


2Q  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

good,  and  the  ride,  which  M'as  accomplished  within  about 
live  hours,  I  would  not  have  lost,  even  at  the  cost  of  a  more 
severe  shaking  than  we  received.  It  gave  ns  a  tine  oppor- 
tunity for  seeing  the  marvelous  transformation  of  a  desert 
into  fruitful  fields.  Compared  with  what  it  was  when  the 
Mormons  entered  it  twenty-one  years  before,  the  valley 
was  more  like  a  creation  than  the  result  of  human  skill 
and  labor,  and  yet  the  change  has  been  wrought  almost  ex- 
clusively by  irrigation.  The  vast  mountain  barrier  which 
stretches  along  the  eastern  portion  of  the  valley  is  an  im- 
mense fountain,  streams  of  the  purest  water  issuing  from 
its  sides  at  every  point,  and  furnishing  the  means  by  which 
this  once  arid  desert  has  been  converted  into  one  of  the 
most  fertile  plains  to  be  found  on  the  face  of  the  continent. 
"When  the  Mormons  entered  this  valley,  it  was  like  the  des- 
olate mountains  over  which  we  had  passed  for  hundreds  of 
miles  —  a  perfect  waste  of  sand  and  wild  sage,  or  devil's 
bush ;  but,  within  a  little  more  than  twenty  years  from 
their  first  immigration,  they  had  extended  a  line  of  farms 
along  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  sixty  miles  in  extent — 
farms  that  equal  in  fertility  the  finest  prairies  in  the  East. 
We  traversed  thirty-five  miles  of  these  cultivated  fields, 
and  every"  mile  only  increased  our  admiration  of  the  re- 
sults of  this  system  of  utilizing  pure  mountain  water.  The 
most  beautiful  crops  of  wheat  formed  the  staple  produc- 
tion— beautiful  not  alone  because  they  were  abundant,  but 
because  ripened  and  harvested,  so  far  as  they  had  been 
gathered,  without  a  drop  of  rain,  the  straw  and  the  ear  so 
bright  that  they  shone  like  silver  in  the  sun.  The  fields  of 
Indian  corn  and  sorghum  were  standing  up  more  luxuriant 
and  taller  than  any  we  had  seen  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  equal  to  any  we  had  seen  in  Iowa.  The  orchards  on 
every  farm  were  loaded  with  fruit,  some  of  it  ripening,  but 
the  most  in  about  the  same  stage  as  at  the  East  in  the  same 
latitude.  The  roadside,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  Avay 
from  Uintah  to  Salt  Lake  City,  was  a  succession  of  apple, 
and  plum,  and  peach  orchards;  the  fruit,  especially  the 


THE  MORMONS.  27 

apples,  of  large  size,  and  the  trees  literally  bending  to  the 
ground  with  their  burdens. 

At  Salt  Lake  City,  Governor  Durkee,  in  speaking  of  the 
wonderful  fertility  of  the  valley  under  Mormon  tillage, 
said  he  could  point  out  to  me  a  lot  of  ten  acres  which  had 
produced  900  bushels  of  wheat  at  a  single  crop ;  and  Mr 
Hooper,  tlie  delegate  to  Congress  from  Utah,  also  stated  to 
me  that  there  were  in  the  agricultural  bureau  of  the  Terri- 
toiy  records  of  the  production  of  wheat  at  the  rate  of  93 
bushels  to  the  acre.  These,  of  course,  were  exceptional 
cases,  and  were  the  result  of  manuring  as  well  as  irrigation, 
and  the  most  careful  cultivation.  By  the  same  system  of 
irrio;ation,  Salt  Lake  Citv,  which  had  not  a  tree  or  shrub 
when  it  was  first  settled  by  the  Mormons,  is  now  a  park  of 
locust  and  cottonwood-trees,  the  former  raised  entirelv 
from  the  seed,  and  the  latter  transplanted  from  the  caiious 
in  the  mountains.  Every  street  has  its  stream  of  water, 
and  every  garden  in  its  turn  is  regularly  watered  under 
the  direction  of  commissioners.  This  is  certainly  a  won- 
derful change  for  a  score  of  years.  One  can  not  but  ad- 
mire the  enterprise  which  has  created  a  garden  out  of  a 
vast  desert,  but  the  amount  of  labor  expended  in  preparing 
the  soil  for  cultivation  has  been  small  compared  with  the 
toil  of  the  early  pioneers  at  the  East,  who  had  dreary  for- 
ests to  clear  away  before  they  could  go  to  work  upon  the 
soil  itself.  Here  the  settlers  had  only  to  turn  the  water 
upon  the  soil,  and  the  work  was  almost  done. 

This  is  the  outside  of  Mormonism,  and  fair  enough  it  is. 
The  plague-spot,  the  corrupt  system  of  imposture  and  delu- 
sion, is  in  the  homes  of  the  Salt  Lake  City  and  Yalley.  I 
went  to  Salt  Lake  City  to  learn  upon  the  spot  what  Mor- 
monism is ;  and  having  had  the  best  opportunities  for  ac- 
quiring the  information  desired,  I  came  away  thoroughly 
convinced  that  it  is  a  system  of  the  grossest  iniquity,  and, 
on  the  part  of  the  leaders,  an  arrant  imposture  upon  a 
poor  deluded  people.  There  is  much  to  admire  in  the  ma- 
terial prosperity  of  the  Territory,  in  the  industry,  order,  and 


28  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

public  spirit  of  the  people,  and  even  in  tlie  administration 
of  affairs  by  the  Mormon  leaders ;  but  one  needs  only  to 
examine  with  a  careful  eye,  and  to  reflect  upon  what  he 
learns,  in  order  to  be  convinced  that  the  spirit  and  purposes 
of  the  whole  thing  are  selfish  and  wicked.  I  have  never 
met  with  any  person,  man  or  woman,  who,  having  been  at 
Salt  Lake  City,  wishes  to  go  there  again.  The  feeling  of 
disgust  which  comes  over  a  stranger  on  entering  the  place 
increases  every  hour;  and  when  once  the  city  is  left  be- 
hind, a  sense  of  relief  springs  up  as  if  a  load  were  taken  off 
the  shoulders.  The  very  atmosphere  seems  loaded  with  a 
moral  pestilence,  and  an  indescribable  feeling  of  shame 
comes  over  the  mind  as  we  walk  the  streets  and  meet  with 
men  and  women  who  are  living  lives  which  ought  to  be 
lives  of  shame  to  them.  I  did  not  call  to  pay  my  respects 
to  Brigham  Young  simply  because  I  had  no  respects  to 
pay  to  such  a  man,  in  such  a  house  as  he  keeps.  Immedi- 
ately upon  reaching  Salt  Lake  City  I  received  from  a  Mor- 
mon high  in  position  a  polite  invitation  to  call  upon  "  the 
President,"  which  I  as  politely  declined.  I  could  learn 
nothing  from  him  that  I  could  not  learn  more  satisfactorily 
and  more  reliably  elsewhere,  and  I  had  no  mawkish  curios- 
ity to  gratify.  I  became  satisfied,  from  what  I  heard  while 
there,  that  great  injury  has  been  done  to  the  Mormons 
themselves,  and  that  there  has  been  much  compromise  of 
dignity,  if  not  of  principle,  by  visitors  of  all  ranks,  and 
among  them  Christians  and  Christian  ministers,  who  have 
shown,  an  eagerness  to  be  presented  to  the  arch-leader  of 
Mormonism.  The  inference  which  the  Mormon  people 
draw  is,  that  he  must  be  a  great  and  good  man  when  the 
great  and  the  good  wish  to  pay  him  reverence ;  and  Brig- 
ham  Young  himself  is  puffed  up  by  the  attentions  which 
are  shown  him  by  persons  from  the  outer  world. 

The  Mormon  people  generally  are  sincere,  devout  be-  • 
lievers  in  the  system  of  religion  which  they  have  adopted, 
and  in  the  men  who  rule  over  them.     They  are  an  igno- 
rant class,  gatliered  from  the  lowest  walks  of  life,  and  have 


THE  MORMONS.  29 

no  means  of  acquiring  knowledge  but  through  Moruiou 
sources.  The  schools  which  they  sustain  do  not  afford  the 
means  of  real  education,  although  one  or  tw^o  of  them  have 
been  greatly  improved  of  late.  The  sale  of  books  and  of 
all  sorts  of  literature,  standard  and  periodical,  at  the  book- 
stores in  the  city,  is  made  almost  exclusively  to  "  Gentiles,'" 
and  it  woukJ  be  very  difficult  to  diffuse  light  among  the 
Mormons.  Tliey  have,  almost  without  exception,  implicit 
confidence  in  their  spiritual  rulers,  who,  they  are  taught  to 
believe,  are  divinely  commissioned  to  exercise  authority 
over  them,  and  whose  integrity  it  would  be  a  sin  to  call  in 
question.  The  leaders,  on  the  other  hand,  I  believe  to  be 
as  unscrupulous  a  set  of  men  as  can  be  found.  There 
doubtless  are  some  exceptions,  but  these  exceptional  cases 
are  not  amono;  those  who  are  admitted  to  the  councils  of 
the  actual  rulers  of  the  community.  The  system  of  Mor- 
monism,  as  now  administered,  has  three  foundation  stones 
— Love  of  Power,  Ava-rice,  mid  Lust :  on  these  it  rests. 
and  it  has  no  better  basis,  as  facts  patent  to  every  intelli- 
gent visitor  will  show. 

The  system,  to  begin  with,  was  an  arrant  imposture,  not 
having  even  the  redeeming  feature  of  fanaticism  to  excuse 
those  who  concocted  it.  It  has  been  kept  up  by  impostors. 
who  pretend  to  have  received  divine  revelations  to  carry 
out  their  plans.  And  what  are  their  purposes  ?  Here  is 
a  large  community,  gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  world, 
living  under  an  absolute  despotism.  The  people  have  nc» 
share  in  the  government,  although  living  under  the  protec- 
tion of  a  republic.  The  form  of  voting  is  a  mere  sham,  as 
the  rulers  know  just  how  every  man  votes,  and  he  must 
needs  vote  one  way.  The  acts  of  the  rulers,  especially  in 
their  financial  affairs,  are  sometimes  submitted  to  the  ap- 
proval of  the  people  in  public  assembly,  but  in  such  a  man- 
ner that  they  can  form  no  judgment,  and  they  are  all  vir- 
tually compelled  to  hold  up  their  hands  together.  Every 
thing  is  under  the  control  of  a  few  men  who  pretend  to  a 
divine  commission  to  rule  the  people.     No  ideas  of  repub- 


30  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

lican  freedom,  of  personal  responsibility  and  rights,  are 
permitted  to  enter  the  minds  of  the  community ;  and  the 
whole  police  system  is  so  perfect  that  it  is  next  to  impossi- 
ble for  them  to  acquire  such  ideas.  The  leaders,  too,  are 
perfectly  unscrupulous  in  the  exercise  of  their  power.  I 
could  give  instances,  which  I  have  received  on  the  best  au- 
thority, in  which  they  have  not  hesitated  to  instigate  crime 
and  to  authorize  acts  which  no  man  would  dare  to  execute 
on  his  own  responsibility,  but  in  the  performance  of  which 
the  willing  tools  are  found  in  an  obedient  people,  who  are 
taught  that  the  voice  of  the  tyi'ants  is  the  voice  of  God. 
Can  any  one  doubt  that  these  men,  the  rulers,  are  keeping 
up  this  delusion  for  the  sake  of  perpetuating  their  own 
power  ? 

Again,  we  find  a  large,  industrious,  frugal  community 
toiling  on  their  farms,  paying  into  the  public  treasury  one 
tenth  of  all  their  productions,  often  called  upon  to  con- 
tribute to  public  improvements,  and,  besides  this,  heavily 
mortgaged  in  person  and  property  to  pay  off  all  the  ex- 
penses of  emigration  and  settlement.  I  have  heard  a  great 
deal  said  about  the  benevolence  of  the  Mormon  authorities 
in  bringing  these  poor  people  from  distant  parts  of  the 
world  and  settling  them  upon  comfortable  farms,  but  lib- 
erality is  one  of  the  last  ideas  that  have  been  entertained 
in  connection  with  the  matter.  Every  cent  is  charged  to 
the  emigrant,  and  must  be  paid  with  enormous  interest,  so 
that  it  is,  in  reality,  a  grand  money-making  system.  This 
is  proved  from  the  fact  tliat  the  rulers  of  tliis  people  are 
rolling  up  large  fortunes,  A  great  portion  of  the  people's 
money  goes  into  the  public  treasurj^,  but  not  one  of  the 
people  knows  what  becomes  of  it  after  that.  There  are 
pretended  financial  reports,  but  no  auditors.  Brigham 
Young  snaps  his  fingers  in  the  face  of  his  inferior  ofiicers, 
and  asks  them  if  they  have  confidence  in  him  ;  and  when 
they  reply,  as  they  must,  that  they  have  confidence,  he  tells 
them  that  is  enough.  Faith  is  all  that  is  necessary.  Brig- 
ham  Young  is  immensely  %vealthy,  and  lives  like  a  prince. 


THE  MORMONS.  3J 

and  the  rulers,  as  a  general  thing,  are  rapidly  acquiring 
wealth.  While  these  men  are  preaching  to  the  people  self- 
denial  and  devotion  to  the  public  interest,  and  calling  for 
their  money  without  stint,  no  one  can  doubt  that  they  them- 
selves are  governed  by  the  greed  of  gold. 

There  is  another  foundation  stone  to  the  system.  Al- 
most every  man  who  is  able  to  suppoi't  more  than  one  wife 
has  more,  but  any  person  who  visits  tlie  Territory,  and 
learns  what  every  one  can  learn,  and  yet  imagines  that  re- 
ligion, or  any  thing  but  the  basest  passions  of  man's  ani- 
mal nature  had  or  has  any  thing  to  do  with  this  part  of  the 
system,  must  be  very  credulous.  For  instance,  I  saw  and 
conversed  with  one  man,  now  more  than  seventy  years  of 
age,  who  formerly  lived  in  a  New  England  town,  and  mar- 
ried, in  his  early  life,  a  New  England  woman.  He  joined 
the  Mormons  with  his  wife,  and  when  she  was  ffettino- 
somewhat  in  years  he  took  another  wife,  of  course  a  young 
one;  and  now  that  the  second  is  getting  older,  he  has  just 
taken  a  young  girl  of  eighteen.  Can  any  one  doubt  his 
motives  ?  Brigham  Young's  wives  are  differently  enumer- 
ated from  thirty-five  to  forty.  Heber  Kimball  had  four- 
teen when  he  died  a  short  time  since.  The  pretense  that  a 
woman  can  not  be  saved,  in  the  highest  sense,  without  be- 
ing married,  and  other  like  impostures  connected  with  this 
part  of  the  system,  only  add  a  darker,  fouler  stain  to  the 
character  of  these  men,  who  are  li\ing  to  fulfill  the  lusts  of 
the  flesh. 

The  condition  of  the  women  is  deplorable.  They  liave 
adopted  the  system  of  Mormonism  as  a  religion ;  they  con- 
fide in  their  rulers,  believing  them  to  be  honest,  but  they 
regard  pol^^gamy  as  a  cross,  and  speak  of  it  as  such ;  a 
cross  which  they  are  bound  to  bear,  while,  with  scarcely 
an  exception,  every  woman  would  prefer  to  be  an  only 
wife.  Many  wear  this  cross  in  deep  sorrow,  such  as  the 
circumstances  would  naturally  produce.  From  extensive 
inquiry  of  those  who  had  every  opportunity  to  be  well  in- 
formed, I  became  satisfied  that  the  women  of  the  Mormon 


32  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

community  are  far  from  being  satisfied  with  their  state, 
whatever  representations  to  the  contrary  may  have  been 
made.  I  was  told  by  a  gentleman  who  had  conversed 
with  some  of  Brigham  Young's  daughters,  who  are  com- 
paratively well  educated,  that  they  declared  positively  they 
would  never  marry  a  man  who  had  another  wife. 

The  future  of  Mormonism — what  is  to  come  of  it,  and 
what  is  to  come  out  of  it — are  questions  of  no  little  mo- 
ment to  the  American  people.  We  have  among  us  a  com- 
munity aspiring  to  be  a  sovereign  state ;  until  the  opening 
of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  isolated  by  its  position  from  the 
rest  of  our  countrv,  but  now  brought  into  direct  commnui- 
cation  with  all  j^arts  of  the  land ;  a  thriving  people,  con- 
stantly increasing  by  emigration  fi"om  other  countries ; 
with  social  institutions  not  only  opposed,  but  abhorrent  to 
the  great  mass  of  the  nation;  the  leaders,  and  the  people 
with  them,  contemning  the  authority  of  the  general  gov- 
ernment, and  resisting  it  when  they  dare ;  and  all  this  dis- 
loyalty sustained  and  intensified  by  fanaticism.  What  is 
to  come  of  it  ? 

After  studying  the  subject  upon  the  ground,  my  appre- 
hensions of  any  real  difiiculty  in  dealing  with  the  matter, 
either  by  moral  means  or  by  governmental  authority,  have 
subsided.  There  are  no  signs  of  relenting  or  of  voluntary 
submission  on  the  part  of  the  rulers,  nor  will  there  be  while 
they  can  in  security  retain  power  and  make  money  out  of 
the  people  as  they  are  now  doing,  and  living  in  the  unre- 
strained indulgence  of  their  lusts.  There  are  no  signs  of 
any  extensive  disaffection  on  the  part  of  the  people.  They 
are  an  ignorant  class,  have  little  opportunity  of  becoming 
better  informed;  they  have  adopted  the  system  from  re- 
ligious motives,  and  have  given  themselves  up  to  it  with 
blind  devotion. 

But  there  are  elements  at  work  which  I  have  no  doubt 
will,  ere  long,  lead  to  an  explosion,  so  that  tlie  whole  thing 
shall  go  to  pieces  of  itself,  even  without  the  employment 
of  military  or  extra-judicial  force.     Were  there  no  other 


THE  MORMONS.  33 

ground  of  discord,  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the  people, 
who  are  now  getting  into  communication  with  the  rest  of 
the  world  by  means  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  will  long  re- 
main blind  to  the  character  of  the  despotism  that  is  exer- 
cised over  them,  or  that  they  will  continue  to  pour  theii- 
money  into  the  coffers  of  a  few  rapacious  men  who  are 
rolling  up  wealth.  Some  of  the  more  successful  have  al- 
ready declined  paying  their  tithes,  and  have  been  cut  oft' 
from  the  Church.  There  were  pointed  out  to  me  at  Salt 
Lake  Cit}'  the  elegant  residences  of  four  brothers,  together 
worth  half  a  million  of  dollars  or  more,  who  came  some 
time  since  to  the  point  at  w^hich,  in  their  opinion,  compli- 
ance with  the  increasing  demands  of  Brigham  Young  and 
his  apostles  ceased  to  be  a  virtue.  One  of  them  sent  five 
hundred  dollars  in  payment  of  tithes.  Brigham  sent  it 
back,  saying  it  was  not  enough.  The  man  coolly  put  the 
money  into  his  pocket,  telling  the  avaricious  rulers  that  he 
would  henceforward  do  his  own  tithing  and  administer 
his  own  charities.  They  are .  all  now  independent  of  the 
Church.  Some  men  must  acquire  intelligence;  this  will 
extend,  and  it  is  not  in  the  nature  of  man,  especially  in  this 
age  of  the  world,  to  submit  to  such  absolute  tyranny  as  is 
exercised  by  the  Mormon  rulers. 

Then,  again,  these  rulers,  governed  alike  by  selfish  mo- 
tives, are  likely  to  fall  out  among  themselves.  There  is 
already  more  or  less  jealousy  of  Brigham's  power  and  in- 
creasino;  wealth,  and  the  world  will  ere  lonoj  have  another 
illustration  of  the  adao-e, "  "When  ros-ues  fall  out,  honest 
men  will  get  their  dues."  At  the  time- of  my  visit  at  Salt 
Lake  a  cloud  was  rising  which  threatened  no  good  to 
Brigham  Young  and  his  fellows.  Two  of  Joe  Smith's  sons 
had  appeared  on  the  stage,  and  were  preaching  a  reforma- 
tion to  crowded  houses.  Where  a  corrupt  hierarchy  de- 
pend on  divine  revelations  for  their  authority,  it  is  easy  to 
get  up  counter-revelations.  The  legend  which  these  young 
Smiths  had  just  brought  to  Salt  Lake  was  that,  previous  to 
his  death,  Joe  Smith,  the  original  pi'ophet  and  leader  of  the 

C 


34  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

Mormons,  had  predicted  the  birtli  of  a  son  by  a  favorite 
wife,  who  should  be  his  successor  in  the  Church.  This  he 
had  by  revelation.  Five  months  after  the  death  of  Joseph 
the  son  was  born,  was  named  David,  and  now,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-three,  he  comes,  with  his  brother  Alexander,  to 
claim  the  headship  of  the  Church  and  the  leadership  of 
tlie  people.  He  denounces  polygamy,  as  opposed  to  the 
principles  and  revelations  of  his  father,  inculcates  loyalty 
to  the  government  of  the  United  States,  and  does  not  hesi- 
tate to  reflect  upon  the  despotism  and  avarice  of  the  pres- 
ent rulers.  He  could  not  stay  in  Salt  Lake  City  a  day  but 
for  the  protection  of  the  United  States  authorities  and 
arms,  especially  the  latter  (nor,  indeed,  would  any  Gentile's 
Hfe  be  worth  insuring  for  a  single  night  were  it  not  for 
the  big  guns  of  the  United  States  troops  on  the  hill  over- 
looking Salt  Lake  City) ;  but  he  was  fearlessly  holding 
forth  to  crowded  assemblies  on  the  abuses  of  Mormonism, 
and  the  apostles  and  elders  were  replying  to  his  statements 
and  strictures.  Tliere  are  so  many  indications  of  dissen- 
sion in  the  Mormon  community  that  I  feel  confident  it  will 
go  to  pieces  by  its  own  rottenness,  and  I  trust  that  its  disso- 
lution is  not  very  far  distant. 

I  do  not  attempt  any  description  of  Salt  Lake  City ;  of 
its  remarkable  growth  in  the  desert  from  nothing  to  a  well- 
built  town  of  twenty  or  twenty -five  thousand  inhabitants ; 
of  the  Tabernacle  (which  is  complete),  and  of  its  great  or- 
gan, one  of  the  largest  in  the  world,  which  has  been  years 
in  building ;  of  the  Temple,  the  foundations  of  which  only 
were  laid.  These  were  not  what  I  went  to  see  so  much  as 
Mormonism  itself.  I  studied  it  to  my  satisfaction,  and 
hailed  the  morning  on  which  I  took  my  leave  of  the  place, 
even  though  the  daylight  had  not  dawned  when  I  took  my 
seat  in  the  stage.  When  it  came  light  1  noticed  among 
our  fellow-passengers  a  lady  and  gentleman  whom  I  had 
seen  alight  from  the  stage  only  the  evening  before.  I  aft- 
erward learned  that  they  had  come  with  the  expectation  of 
spending  a  week,  but  the  lady  was  so  disgusted  with  all  she 


CALIFORNIA.  35 

saw  and  heard  that  she  entreated  her  husband  to  take  her 
away  at  once,  and  before  daylight  they  were  outward 
bound. 

Soon  after  dayhght,  when  we  were  a  few  miles  out  of 
Salt  Lake  City,  we  picked  up  two  passengers  who  were  on 
foot.  I  was  seated  on  the  top  of  the  coach,  and,  as  one  of 
them  took  a  seat  below  me,  something  heavy  in  his  coat- 
flap  fell  upon  my  toes.  I  thought  I  recognized  a  revolver, 
and  said  to  him,  "  I  perceive  that  you  are  prepared  to  take 
care  of  yourself."  He  turned,  and  looked  me  in  the  face 
in  order  to  scan  my  motive  in  speaking  to  him,  and  then 
o'ave  me  his  history.  He  had  been  in  business  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  and,  becoming  obnoxious  to  the  Mormons,  learned 
that  his  life  was  in  danger,  and  fearing  assassination,  had 
left  in  the  night,  prepared  to  sell  his  life  dear  if  attacked. 
At  a  safe  distance  from  the  City  of  the  Saints  he  mounted 
the  coach,  with  the  intention  of  looking  out  for  a  part  of 
the  country  more  conducive  to  longevity  than  he  had  rea- 
son to  fear  Salt  Lake  City  or  Valley  would  prove. 


III. 

CALIFOKNIA. 

After  this  episode  at  Salt  Lake  City  we  resumed  our 
journey  by  the  Pacific  Railroad  at  Uintah,  and  soon  reach- 
ed the  western  half  of  the  great  thoroughfare,  the  Central 
Pacific  ;  not  the  half  in  distance,  but  much  more  than  half 
in  the  boldness  of  the  undertaking  and  in  the  grandeur  of 
achievement.  Leading  over  the  abrupt  heights  of  the  Sier- 
ra Nevada  Mountains  (which  might,  with  great  propriety, 
exchange  names  with  the  Rocky  Mountains,  for  rocky  ele- 
vations and  precipices  abound  far  more  in  the  former  than 
in  the  latter),  the  work  to  be  accomplished  on  the  Central 
Pacific  was  far  more  forbidding  than  any  thing  upon  the 


36 


AROUND  THE  WOELD. 


Union  Pacilic.  By  tlie  force  of  a  mighty  engine,  and  oc- 
casionally with  a  double  team  of  iron  horses,  we  climbed 
the  dizzy  heights,  and  wormed  our  way  along  the  sides  of 
the  mountains.  At  different  points  we  could  look  from 
the  car  window  down  the  precipitous  rocks  into  the  ravine, 
more  than  fiften  hundred  feet  below.  Cape  Horn,  a  bold 
promontory,  around  which  the  road  makes  a  sharp  curve  at 
this  elevation,  is  as  famous  among  Pacific  Railroad  travel- 
ers, and  almost  as  much  of  a  terror,  as  the  cape  from  which 
it  takes  its  name  is  to  navigators.  The  twenty-five  miles 
of  close  snow-sheds  through  which  we  passed  (since  in- 
creased, I  believe,  to  thirty  or  forty),  were  a  more  cuinous 


ON    TUE   SIEKEA   NEVAPAS. 


CALIFORNIA.  37 

than  pleasiiiij  portion  of  the  passage.  We  could  only  no\\- 
and  then,  through  the  interstices  of  the  sheds,  catch  a 
o-limpse  of  the  wild  and  grand  scenery  which  marks  this 
part  of  the  road.  Before  we  commenced  the  ascent  of  the 
Sierra  Nevadas  the  thermometer  which  I  carried  with  me 
stood  at  89  degrees  in  the  Salt  Lake  Valley.  When  we 
reached  the  summit,  early  the  next  morning,  the  same  ther- 
mometer indicated  S-i  degrees.  We  were  then  at  an  ele- 
vation of  7000  feet,  and  it  was  August  14th.  When  we 
reached  the  California  plain  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same 
day  the  mercury  was  again  at  88. 

My  views  of  the  importance  of  the  Pacific  Eailroad  to 
the  country  and  to  the  world  have  been  greatly  enlarged, 
not  only  by  passing  over  it,  but  still  more  by  observing  in 
foreign  countries,  and  even  in  the  very  heart  of  Asia,  the 
influence  which  it  is  already  exerting  upon  the  intercourse 
and  the  ideas  of  the  world  at  large.  There  was  no  enter- 
prise connected  with  our  country  that  awakened  such  inter- 
est in  the  East  as  this.  All  over  India  it  was  the  theme  of 
earnest  inquiry;  and, when  I  had  crossed  the  Sewalic  range 
of  the  Himalaya  Mountains,  and  reached  the  beautiful  and 
fertile  valley  of  Dehra  Doon,  I  was  earnestly  entreated  by 
the  English  and  American  residents  to  deliver  a  public 
lecture  on  the  Pacific  Railroad,  of  which  they  had  heard 
much,  and  wished  to  hear  still  more.  On  mv  return  south 
from  the  Himalaj^as  I  met  at  Allahabad  the  report  of  the 
commission  appointed  by  the  East  India  government  to 
visit  this  countrj'  and  examine  our  railroads,  and  especially 
the  Pacific  Road.  Their  report  was  quite  as  enthusiastic 
and  laudatory  as  one  emanating  from  the  companies  them- 
selves could  be.  In  ray  opinion,  the  value  of  the  road  as 
an  immediate  channel  of  commerce  has  been  overestima- 
ted. ]^o  railroad — not  all  the  railroads  in  the  world  can 
carry  on  the  commerce  of  the  world.  They  are  limited  in 
capacity,  and  a  great  passenger  route  can  never  become  a 
great  channel  for  the  transportation  of  freight.  This  is 
especially  true  of  a  single  ti-ack  road,  and  more  especially 


38  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

true  of  a  road  of  such  immense  length  as  the  Pacific,  on 
which  passenger  trains  are  liable  to  be  detained,  and  must 
have  the  precedence  over  freight.  It  will  be  as  impossible 
to  cany  on  the  commerce  of  the  world  over  one  or  more 
railroad  tracks  as  to  carry  on  the  entire  correspondence  of 
the  world  over  a  single  telegraph  wire.  The  passenger 
business  of  the  Pacific  Road  must  nearly,  if  not  altogether, 
absorb  its  capacity  of  locomotion  ;  but  its  vast  importance, 
even  in  a  commercial  point  of  view,  will  be  enhanced  rath- 
er than  diminished  by  this  result.  It  is  to  be  the  great  me- 
dium of  communication  between  the  different  parts  of  the 
world  ;  and  while  actual  commerce — the  transportation  of 
the  products  of  the  earth,  and  of  the  skill  of  different  na- 
tions— must  have  a  channel  of  greater  capacity,  the  com- 
mercial intercourse  of  the  world  will  receive  from  the  com- 
pletion of  this  and  similar  works  a  stimulus  which  has  nev- 
er been  fully  estimated,  and  the  value  of  the  road  to  its 
enterprising  projDrietors,  as  well  as  to  the  world  at  large, 
will  be  increased  instead  of  being  diminished  by  this  very 
restriction. 

The  grand  enterprise  of  the  century  is  to  be  the  ship 
canal  across  the  Isthmus  of  Darien.  Commerce  must  have 
water  for  its  channel ;  it  must  liave  a  channel  of  such  ca- 
pacity tbat  there  will  be  no  occasion  for  breaking  up  car- 
goes ;  aud  the  nearest  approach  to  a  natural  union  of  the 
two  oceans  will  be  a  canal  of  sufiicient  depth  and  breadth 
to  allow  the  largest  ordinary  steamers  and  sailing  vessels 
to  pass  through  without  transshipment  of  goods.  It  has 
been  a  matter  of  surprise  that  our  government  and  our 
capitalists  have  not  taken  hold  of  this  great  scheme  with 
more  determination  to  have  it  carried  through  to  comple- 
tion.. I  know  many  of  the  difiiculties  which  lie  in  the 
way,  international  and  economical,  but  it  is  an  enterprise 
of  such  vast  importance  to  the  country  and  to  the  world 
that  it  ought  to  be  begun  at  once,  and  completed  as  soon 
as  it  can  be  done,  if  a  practical  route  can  be  found. 

It  was  late  Saturdav  evening  when  we  reached  San  Fran- 


CALIFORNIA. 


39 


CISCO.  More  than  two  weeks  before  I  had  written  to  the 
proprietor  of  the  Lick  House  engaging  rooms  for  10  o'clock 
of  that  evening,  and  I  note  it  as  one  of  the  many  indica- 
tions of  precision  in  modern  travel  that,  although  I  was 
nearly  a  fortnight  on  the  way  from  New  York  to  the  Pa- 
cific, including  different  pauses  of  a  day  or  two  at  a  time, 
I  was  never  an  hour  behind  time  on  the  Pacific  Railroad, 
and  I  reached  the  hotel  at  San  Francisco  within  an  hour 
of  the  time  I  had  named  some  weeks  before.  The  entire 
journey  around  the  world  was  marked  by  nearly  the  same 
exactness,  of  which  I  may  have  occasion  to  speak  from 
time  to  time. 

A  week  passed  in  the  city  of  the  Golden  Gate,  and  1 
found  myself  still  in  a  maze.  I  did  not  lose  my  conscious- 
ness during  the  long  journey  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pa- 
cific. It  was  all  a  reality  when,  after  spending  two  or 
three  days  in  traversing  the  older  states,  we  crossed  the 
Missouri  and  swept  out  upon  the  broad  prairies  of  Ne- 
braska, and  over  the  Black  Hills,  and  then  over  the  Eocky 
Mountains,  and  through  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Basin,  and 
over  the  Sierra  Nevadas.  All  this  was  real.  Neither  the 
time  nor  the  way  seemed  long,  although  it  was  not  difiicult 
to  comprehend  that  we  were  actually  spanning  the  conti- 
nent. 

Seven  days  and  seven  nights  of  steady  travel  upon  a 
smooth  road,  behind  a  locomotive,  will  tell  upon  any  dis- 
tance ;  and  when,  early  on  the  morning  of  the  seventh  day 
of  actual  journeying,  we  crossed  the  summit  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  we  strained  our  eyes  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  the  broad  Pacific,  although  it  lay  a  long  day's  journey 
out  of  sight.  As  we  descended  the  magnificent  slope  we 
felt  sure  that  Ave  were  coming  into  the  Golden  State,  and 
when  we  saw  the  wlieat-fields,  and  vineyards,  and  tlie  abun- 
dance of  luscious  fruits  at  the  railway  stations  greeted  our 
eyes  and  then  our  palates,  we  became  more  and  more 
pleasantly  assured  that  we  were  within  the  borders  of  Cal- 
ifornia, the  cornucoj^ia  of  the  country. 


40  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

Darkness  liacl  gathered  over  us  before  we  crossed  the 
l)ay  and  entered  San  Fi-ancisco,  so  that  we  could  form  little 
conception  of  the  city.  But  when,  the  next  morning,  on 
going  out  into  the  streets  on  our  way  to  church,  instead  of 
a  mushroom  city  of  twenty  years,  made  up  of  rough  boards 
and  canvas,  like  the  new  cities  through  which  we  had 
passed  along  the  line  of  the  Pacific  Koad,  we  found  our- 
selves in  an  old  established  town,  with  broad  streets  and 
magnificent  stone  buildings,  as  substantial  and  imposing  in 
appearance  as  those  of  cities  which  have  been  built  for 
centuries,  I  could  not  make  it  real  that  this  was  San  Fran- 
cisco, a  city  not  yet  twenty-one  years  of  age.  It  was  more 
like  one  of  the  creations  of  Aladdin's  Lamp.  The  oldest 
inhabitants  were  those  that  came  in  1849,  and  it  was  not  a 
little  curious  to  find  in  so  large  a  city  so  many  who  came 
<inno  urhis  conditce.  To  the  inquiry, "How  long  have  you 
been  in  Calif ornia  ?"  the  answer  seemed  almost  invariably 
"  Twenty  years ;  I  came  in  1849."  These  old  settlers  have 
a  sort  of  pre-emption  right,  of  which  they  are  not  a  little 
proud,  as  well  they  may  be. 

San  Francisco  is  something  to  be  proud  of,  but  of  one 
thing  I  should  never  boast,  and  that  is  of  its  climate.  Dur- 
ing the  month  of  August  we  had  not  one  day  of  genial  or 
even  moderately  comfortable  weather.  Cold  foo'S  in  the 
morning,  and  cold  winds  during  nearly  all  of  the  twenty- 
four  hours,  made  up  our  experience.  With  the  winds  from 
the  ocean,  which  sweep  over  the  sand-hills,  come  storms  of 
sand  and  dust  that  are  excessively  annoying,  and  from 
which  there  is  no  escape.  The  weather  at  that  season  of 
the  year  is  so  cold  that  ladies  wear  their  furs,  and  gentle- 
men go  clad  or  armed  with  heavy  overcoats.  Winter  is 
said  to  be  the  real  summer  of  San  Francisco,  and  I  would 
fain  believe  it  is  so;  yet  Calif ornians  speak  in  terms  of 
admiration  of  the  very  weather  that  penetrated  our  bones. 
But  the  old  proverb,  de  gustihus  etc.,  I  presume,  is  as  ap- 
plicable to  the  gusts  of  San  Francisco  as  to  any  others. 
A  few  miles  from  the  coast  the  weather  is  mild  and  de- 


CALIFOMNIA.  41 

lightful ;  fartlier  inland  it  becomes  intensely  hot,  and  again 
upon  the  high  lands  it  becomes  delightfully  cool. 

Of  the  sisfhts  and  scenes  in  and  around  San  Francisco  I 
mention  but  one.  Between  the  city  and  the  ocean  there  is 
a  neck  of  land,  a  high  promontorj'  of  sand  six  or  seven 
miles  wide.  The  great  drive  of  the  tow^n  is  across  this 
promontory  to  the  shore,  where  the  waves  come  rolling  in 
to  rest  after  their  long  journey  from  Japan  and  China. 
About  three  hundred  yards  from  the  land  two  rugged  rocks 
rise  abruptly  out  of  the  water  to  the  height  of  seventy-five 
feet,  covering  an  area  of  perhaps  an  acre  each.  These 
rocks  are  the  property  and  the  habitations  of  an  immense 
colony  of  sea-lions,  as  they  are  called,  or  seals,  who  hold  un- 
disturbed possession,  and  who  are  protected  in  their  right 
of  property  and  from  all  injury  by  statute  law.  Some  of 
these  sea-lions  are  of  enormous  size  ;  and  it  is  an  amusino- 
sight,  which  never  loses  its  interest,  to  watch  them  in  their 
clumsy  efforts  to  climb  to  the  xery  pinnacles  of  the  rocks 
by  means  of  their  fins  and  tails.  They  often  come  in  con- 
flict struggling  for  the  high  places,  and  then  we  are  sure  to 
hear  the  loud  disputation,  unlike  any  controversy  which  I 
have  ever  heard  before,  their  fierce  growls  and  barks  being 
heard  above  the  noise  of  old  Ocean,  whose  waves  are  con- 
stantly breaking  on  the  shore.  There  are  seals  of  all  sizes, 
from  the  tiny  cubs  to  the  strong  old  settlers,  who  look  as  if 
they  might  have  been  masters  of  the  rock  for  a  hundred 
vears.  I  doubt  if  there  is  another  such  scene  to  be  witness- 
ed  any  where  upon  the  earth  or  sea ;  and  the  great  curiosi- 
ty is,  that  these  undomesticated  denizens  of  two  elements 
are  living  in  a  community  of  their  own,  almost  within 
stone's  throw  of  a  frequented  shore,  in  as  wild  a  state  as 
when  the  continent  was  discovered,  constantly  within  the 
sound  of  human  voices,  and  yet  as  apparently  unconscious 
of  the  vicinity  of  man  as  if  they  were  a  thousand  miles 
from  land. 

California  is  a  great  state.  I  have  been  informed  of  that 
fact  repeatedly,  and  by  those  who  have  lived  in  it  long 


42  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

enough  to  know  whereof  they  affirm  ;  but  it  is,  in  truth,  a 
great  state.  In  territory  it  is  equal  to  all  New  England, 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  a  part 
of  Delaware.  It  is  not  only  large  enough,  north  and  south, 
to  constitute  several  climes,  but  it  has  a  remarkable  variet}' 
of  climate  within  a  narrow  compass.  If  variety  is  the  spice 
of  life,  California  is  the  spiciest  country  to  live  in  that  I 
have  found  in  all  my  wanderings.  I  have  never  before 
been  where  chills  and  fever  were  so  prevalent.  I  do  not 
mean  the  terrible  disease  bearing  that  name,  of  which  I 
have  a  greater  dread  than  of  the  yellow  fever,  but  the  al- 
ternate shakings  and  warmings  which  one  gets  in  passing 
from  one  part  of  the  state  to  another.  The  morning  that 
I  came  into  it  (August  15th,  at  5  o'clock)  the  thermometer, 
as  I  have  already  stated,  stood  in  the  car  window  on  the 
Pacific  Railroad  at  34°,  only  two  degrees  above  fi-eezing. 
At  2  o'clock  the  same  day,  farther  west,  the  same  thermom- 
eter stood  at  88.  This,  it  is  true,  was  on  different  planes ; 
but  one  may  "  shiver  and  sliake"  day  after  day  at  San 
Francisco,  and  an  hour's  sail  will  take  him  into  the  bland- 
est atmosphere.  In  going  up  to  Stockton,  we  left  San 
Francisco  August  23d,  at  3  o'clock  P.M.,  wrapped  up  in 
our  warmest  winter  cloaks  and  o^•ercoats,  and  stopping  at 
Benicia,  only  thirty  miles  distant  and  on  the  same  plane, 
we  cast  off  our  wraps  and  stepped  into  the  most  delightful 
summer  weather,  and  saw  the  sun  go  down  in  a  sea  of  gold 
— a  sensation  and  a  sight  which  we  had  not  enjoyed  since 
our  arrival.  During  the  same  journey  the  weatlier  would 
be  intensely  warm  during  the  day,  and,  in  the  same  locali- 
ty, by  midnight  we  would  find  ourselves  searching,  half 
awake,  for  all  the  stray  clothes  within  reach,  and  in  the 
morning  the  thermometer  would  indicate  frost.  The  same 
diversity  and  variations  of  temperature  prevail  in  almost 
every  portion  of  the  state,  and  in  some  places  that  I  have 
visited  I  have  been  informed  that  the  thermometer  rises 
frequently  as  high  as  110,  and  even  120  in  the  shade. 
One  of  the  wonders   of  this  great  state  is  that  every 


CALIFORNIA.  43 

thing  does  not  die  out  utterly  in  the  sumnier,  and  leave  the 
valleys  ever  after  as  barren  as  the  granite  rocks  of  the  walls 
of  the  Yoseniite.  iS'ot  a  drop  of  rain  falls  in  the  summer 
in  the  great  valleys  which  are  the  agricultural  regions  of 
the  state.  In  passing  through  these  valleys  in  the  month 
of  August,  they  do  not  give  the  slightest  signs  of  vegeta- 
tion, excepting  the  trees,  which  are  sparse.  The  ground  is 
apparently  as  dry  as  an  ash-heap  fresh  from  the  burning. 
You  may  travel  all  day  long  and  never  see  a  blade  of 
grass,  nor  even  a  green  weed ;  but,  as  soon  as  the  fall  rains 
commence,  the  hills  and  valleys  are  clothed  with  the  rich- 
est verdure,  another  year's  crop  of  grass  and  grain  comes 
on,  and  the  once  arid  slopes  and  plains  are  burdened  with 
the  harvest.  Vegetation  must  have  some  strange  power  of 
lying  dormant  and  then  springing  into  life,  or  there  must 
be  latent  moisture  in  the  soil  which  preserves  it  from  per- 
ishing, for,  while  the  surface  of  the  earth  is  without  the 
least  evidence  of  vegetable  life,  the  fruit  and  ornamental 
trees,  whose  roots  strike  deeper  into  the  soil,  are  as  luxuri- 
ant in  theii-  growth  and  in  their  foliage  as  if  rain  had  fall- 
en every  day  in  the  year.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  see 
a  vineyard  or  plantation  of  fruit-trees  in  full  and  green 
leaf,  and  loaded  with  the  richest  fruit,  standing  in  the  midst 
of  a  perfectly  arid  tract  of  country,  and  this,  too,  without 
irrigation.  My  partial  examination  of  California  has  satis- 
lied  me  that  agriculture  in  all  its  branches  is  to  be  the  great 
interest  of  the  state,  and,  indeed,  it  is  so  noM'. 

The  fruits  of  California  have  not  equaled  my  expecta- 
tions. It  is  true,  the  rage  for  mammoth  productions,  mam- 
moth vegetables  and  fruits,  of  which  we  heard  so  much  in 
the  early  settlement  of  the  state,  has  given  place  to  a  more 
sensible  attention  to  quality ;  but,  even  with  this  improve- 
ment, the  fruits  generally  are  not  equal  in  flavor  to  those 
of  the  Eastern  States.  They  grow  in  a  profusion  that  is 
without  any  parallel  within  the  range  of  my  observation, 
and  with  so  little  cultivation  that  they  seem  almost  to  be 
spontaneous ;  they  have  a   smoothness  and  perfection  of 


44  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

form  whicli  gives  them  the  beauty  of  flowers ;  I  have  seen 
trees  loaded  with  fruits  of  the  hirgest  size  on  which  an  im- 
perfect specimen  could  scarcely  be  found,  and  yet,  when 
they  come  to  be  eaten,  they  do  not  f  ultill  their  bright  prom- 
ise. The  first,  and,  as  it  was  said,  the  finest  of  the  peaches 
had  disappeared  before  w^e  arrived ;  but  those  which  we 
have  eaten,  although  magnificent  in  appearance  and  rich  in 
color,  have  been  without  the  flavor  that  the  peaches  at  the 
East  preserve  throughout  the  season.  It  is,  perhaps,  too 
early  to  form  a  judgment  of  the  apples  ;  but  I  have  tried 
many  varieties,  and,  while  they  are  fair  to  look  upon — ex- 
ceeding in  size  and  smoothness  all  the  productions  of  the 
Eastern  States,  so  that,  to  judge  merely  from  tlieir  external 
appearance,  one  might  suppose  that  this  fruit,  as  well  as 
many  others,  had  taken  a  new  lease  of  life  for  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  had  entered  upon  an  entirely  new  career — I  have 
not  tasted  a  good  apple  in  California.  This  fruit,  even 
more  than  others,  is  without  flavor  and  without  juice.  Such 
quinces  as  I  have  seen  growing  in  various  parts  of  the  state, 
among  the  mountains  as  well  as  in  the  valleys  and  on  the 
plains,  I  never  even  imagined  before.  They  grow  to  an 
enormous  size,  and  are  as  smooth  as  an  orange — quite  dif- 
ferent, taking  a  whole  tree  together,  from  any  thing  with 
which  I  have  been  familiar,  and  there  can  be  little  fear 
that  this  fruit  is  not  sufiicientlv  hio-hlv  flavored. 

But  the  glory  of  California  fruit  is  its  pears  and  grapes. 
The  former  grow  with  a  luxuriance  and  rapidity,  and  with 
such  abimdance  of  large  and  luscious-looking  fruit  bending 
the  trees  to  the  earth,  that,  on  entering  any  of  the  fruit- 
orchards,  a  stranger  is  compelled  to  break  out  continually 
in  astonishment.  All  varieties  of  pears,  if  not  actually  in- 
digenous to  the  soil,  have  found  in  California  their  true 
home,  and  many  of  them,  at  least,  are  as  delicious  as  they 
are  finely  developed.  Some  specimens  of  this  fruit,  in 
years  past,  have  been  a  wonder  at  the  East ;  but  there  are 
a  few  more  left.  Pears  have  become  so  abundant — even 
the  choicest  varieties — that  thev  have  actuallv  become  a 


CALIFORNIA.  45 

drug  in  the  market ;  and  JJartletts  which  will  weigh  a 
pound,  and  which  blush  when  you  simply  look  at  them, 
will  scarcely  pay  for  sending  them  to  market.  I  was  at  a 
ranch  not  an  hour's  distance  from  San  Francisco,  contain- 
ing all  kinds  of  fruit  and  pears  of  every  variety,  hundreds 
of  bushels  of  such  fruit  as  was  never  seen  in  any  other 
country,  the  owner  of  which  said  he  should  leave  it  all  to 
rot  upon  the  trees,  as  it  would  not  pay  for  the  picking. 

Grapes  grow  every  where  in  the  state  with  the  greatest 
luxuriance,  and  spontaneously.  They  require  no  sort  of 
training ;  they  are  trimmed  annually  almost  to  the  level  of 
the  soil,  leanng  a  small  stump,  and,  before  the  season  is 
over,  such  a  burden  of  the  finest  of  fruit  is  seen,  and  in 
clusters  like  the  grapes  of  Eshcol,  as  can  now  scarcely  be 
found  any  where  else  on  earth.  The  choicest  of  foreign 
grapes,  which  at  the  East  are  matured  only  in  graperies  by 
artificial  heat,  here  revel  in  the  open  air.  I  believe  all  vis- 
itors in  California,  if  not  the  citizens,  unite  in  pronouncing 
the  grapes  the  finest  of  its  fruit,  and  they  grow  in  such  pro- 
fusion that  all  classes  may  have  them  at  this  season  as  an 
article  of  daily  diet.  Figs  and  pomegranates  grow  with 
the  same  luxuriance ;  the  former,  as  in  Oriental  countries, 
producing  three  crops  in  a  season.  The  fig-tree  grows  with 
astonishing  rapidity.  1  have  seen,  even  among  the  moun- 
tains, and  still  more  in  the  broad  valleys,  fig-trees  twenty  or 
twenty-five  feet  in  height,  that  could  not  be  more  than  ten 
or  twelve  years  old,  and  covered  with  the  second  crop  of  the 
largest  and  finest  figs.  It  is  surprising  to  see  so  little  ac- 
count made  of  this  fruit,  which,  in  other  countries,  is  an  im- 
portant article  of  food,  and  which  is  more  nourishing  than 
any  of  our  native  fruits.  But  the  taste  for  it  must  be  ac- 
quired, and  it  is  evident  that  it  has  nut  been  extensively  ac- 
quired in  California. 


46 


AROUXD  THE  WORLD. 


VIEW   OF   THE   YOSEMITE. 


IV. 

THE  YOSEMITE  VALLEY  AND  THE  BIG  TREES. 

I  WAS  surprised,  on  reaching  the  Pacific  coast,  to  learn 
how  few  Cahfornians  have  ever  been  to  the  Yosemite  Val- 
ley. On  making  inquiry  of  one  and  another  of  the  old 
residents,  who  would  be  most  likely  to  give  me  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  the  most  desirable  route  to  the  valley,  1 


THE  TOSEMITE  VALLEY  AND  THE  BIG  TREES.  47 

could  scarcely  find  one  who  had  been  there.  It  was  not 
because  "  a  prophet  is  not  without  honor  save  in  his  own 
country,"  for  the  Califoruians  generally  have  a  very  high 
appreciation  of  the  attractions  of  the  wonderful  cleft,  as 
indeed  they  have  of  every  thing  included  within  the  wide- 
stretching  borders  of  their  magnificent  state.  Scarcely  five 
thousand  persons  have  visited  the  Valley  since  it  was  first 
discovered  and  brought  to  notice,  and  of  these  a  large  pro- 
portion, if  not  the  largest,  have  been  persons  from  other 
states  and  countries.  There  are  several  reasons  for  this 
practical  indifference,  on  the  part  of  the  neighbors,  to  this 
wonder  of  the  world.  One  is,  that  the  Californiaus  are  a 
practical  people ;  and  though  they  do  not  seem  to  have  a 
very  strong  attachment  to  their  gold,  they  are  very  fond  of 
making  it,  whether  in  the  mines,  or  on  Montgomery  and 
California  Streets  of  San  Francisco.  The  trip  also  re- 
quires time — a  longer  time  than  I  had  supposed — and  time 
is  money  in  California  as  well  as  elsewhere.  But  the 
chief  reason  I  presume  is,  that  the  Californiaus  know  more 
of  tJie  difficulties  of  the  journey  than  strangers  who  come, 
often  with  this  as  the  main  attraction,  and  who,  having 
come  so  far,  will  not  be  deterred  by  the  terrors  of  the  way. 
It  is,  in  truth,  about  the  most  severe  expedition  that  I  have 
ever  accomplished,  and,  at  tliis  dry  season  of  the  year,  be- 
yond all  comparison  the  dirtiest.  Dust  does  not  express 
the  idea,  although  for  days,  in  going  and  returning,  you 
are  enveloped  in  clouds,  the  dirt  covering  and  penetrating 
every  thing  that  you  have  on,  entering  your  eyes  and  ears, 
and  all  the  avenues  to  your  throat,  and  so  begriming  ev- 
ery thing  that,  when  one  gets  back  into  tlie  region  of  baths 
and  clean  clothes,  he  will  be  sure  to  cast  behind  him  all 
that  he  has  had  on,  and  never  look  back  to  see  what  be- 
comes of  it,  only  too  thankful  that  it  is  his  no  longer.  "VVe 
met  some  travelers  just  returned  from  the  Valley,  who,  like 
the  spies  on  the  way  out  of  the  Promised  Land,  attempted 
to  dissuade  us  from  ffoing^  in,  but  we  concluded  that  "what 
has  been  done  can  be  done,"  and  determined  to  see  it  for 


48  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

ourselves.  And,  in  very  truth,  no  other  excursion  that  I 
have  ever  made,  in  any  other  part  of  the  world,  has  been 
so  remunerative  in  interest.  Nowhere  else  have  I  seen  so 
mucli  of  grandeur  and  beauty  in  natural  scenery  combined. 

Two  weeks  are  required  for  a  satisfactory  visit,  includ- 
ing the  journey  to  and  from  the  Valley.  It  may  be  ac- 
complished in  ten  days,  but  the  excursion  will  be  hurried 
and  more  fatiguing.  There  are  three  routes  from  Stock- 
ton, one  by  Bear  Valley  and  Mariposa,  another  by  Centre- 
ville,  and  a  third  by  Big  Oak  Flat.  The  last  has  become 
the  easiest  route  by  the  extension  of  the  stage  -  road,  and 
we  chose  it  on  going  into  the  Valley  for  the  saving  of  time 
and  fatigue.  Leaving  San  Francisco  in  the  afternoon  by 
boat,  we  reached  Stockton — 117  miles — in  the  course  of 
the  night.  We  were  roused  early  the  next  morning  to  take 
the  stage  at  six  o'clock.  The  road,  on  the  first  day,  was 
smooth  and  perfectly  level  the  greater  part  of  the  way,  but 
fearfully  dusty.  No  rain  had  fallen,  not  a  drop  for  many 
months,  as  is  the  case  every  summer ;  but  all  day  long  our 
route  lay  through  a  succession  of  wheat-fields,  covering 
what  is  called  the  Valley  of  the  San  Joaquin  (pronounced 
San  Waukeen),  which  is  an  extended  plain,  once  regard- 
ed as  waste  land,  but  in  reality  one  of  the  most  fertile 
wheat  regions  in  the  w^orld.  The  grain  had  been  put  in 
sacks  and  stacked  on  the  ground,  where  it  was  threshed, 
and  where  it  is  suffered  to  lie  for  weeks  without  fear  of 
injury  from  the  weather. 

The  first  day's  staging  brought  us  to  Garrote  at  10  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  weary  enough  to  lie  down  and  rest  until 
noon  of  the  next  day,  but  at  3  o'clock  in  the  morning  we 
were  ]'Oused  to  resume  our  journey  by  stage.  The  name 
of  the  place  was  not  at  all  pleasantly  suggestive,  and  al- 
though we  did  not  meet  with  the  fate  of  some  of  the  early 
settlers,  from  which  the  name  was  derived,  we  were  most 
unpleasantly  reminded  in  the  morning  of  a  comparison  of 
Dickens,  that  being  called  up  before  daylight  to  go  off  in  a 
stage  is  very  much  like  being  called  up  to  be  hanged.    But 


THE  YOSEMITE  VALLEY  AND  THE  BIG  TREES.  4^ 

we  were  in  for  the  war,  and,  stiff  and  still  weary,  M^e  again 
took  our  seats  and  rode  through  the  woods  to  Hardin's 
Ranch,  which  we  reached  at  10  o'clock  in  the  day.  Here 
we  were  to  take  horses,  and,  after  a  hasty  lunch,  were  in 
the  saddle.  Two  of  our  horses  were  donkeys,  of  no  mag- 
nificent proportions,  which  fell  to  the  lot  of  those  of  our 
party  who  were  not  least  in  stature,  and  altogether  we 
formed  a  cavalcade  that  the  Knio-ht  of  La  Mancha  mio-ht 
have  been  proud  to  lead.  Our  guide,  who,  with  the  care 
of  horses,  and  saddles,  and  riders,  had  no  mean  responsil)il- 
ity,  was  William  Bourne,  a  name  somewhat  ominous.  Be- 
fore committing  ourselves  to  his  direction,  however,  I  dis- 
tinctly inquired  if  he  were  that  houriie  of  which  I  had 
read  "from  which  no  traveler  returns."  He  assured  me 
he  was  not ;  that  scores  of  travelers  had  fallen  into  his 
hands,  and  had  come  out  safe  and  sound ;  and  I  desire  to 
add  my  testimony  to  his  faithfulness,  and  my  belief  that 
there  is  not  a  more  trusty  guide  in  all  the  Valley. 

The  ride  of  that  day  and  evening — for  we  were  ten 
hours  in  the  saddle — was  one  which  made  its  impress  upon 
our  memories  in  more  ways  than  one.  All  unused  as  we 
were  to  the  exercise,  we  carried  with  us  for  many  days 
the  most  tender  recollections  of  its  severity,  but  w^e  shall 
carry  with  us  while  we  live  the  most  pleasing  recollections 
of  its  romantic  and  sublime  interest.  Hour  after  hour  we 
wound  our  way  through  the  magnificent  forest,  its  grand 
old  trees  growing  upon  us  as  we  passed  along,  from  those 
of  ordinary  proportions  to  sugar-pines  of  ten  and  twelve 
feet  in  diameter,  and  then  to  the  Big  Trees,  of  which  1 
shall  speak  hereafter. 

About  3  o'clock  we  reached  the  hospitable  mansion  of 
Mrs.  Gobin,  at  Crane's  Flat,  which  I  desire  to  commend  to 
the  special  regard  of  all  travelers  toward  the  Yosemite. 
Mrs.  G.  is  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  but  she  is  proud 
to  speak  of  New  York  as  "  her  adopted  city,"  and  New 
York  may  well  be  proud  to  count  her  among  its  numerous 
adopted  daughters.      She  occupies  a  little  shantv  on  the 

D 


50  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 

flat,  and  while  her  liege  lord  looks  after  his  sheep  on  the 
surrounding  mountains  and  green  flats,  she  entertains  trav- 
elers to  and  from  the  Yalley  in  a  truly  magnificent  style. 
Nowhere  after  leaving  San  Francisco  did  we  find  such 
fare,  such  delicious  bread  and  butter,  coffee  and  rich  cream, 
canned  fruits  of  all  kinds,  mutton,  ham,  etc.  She  made 
many  apologies  for  being  taken  unawares,  and  not  having 
a  dinner  in  readiness  for  us ;  when  we  rode  up  she  was  just 
in  the  midst  of  the  blanc  mange  which  she  was  preparing 
for  Mr.  Colfax's  party,  who  were  then  in  the  Valley,  and 
who  were  to  pass  her  ranch  the  next  day  ;  she  would  have 
a  good  dinner  ready  for  us  on  our  return  from  the  Valley, 
etc.,  etc.,  which  promise  she  fulfilled  to  our  perfect  satisfac- 
tion a  few  days  after.  But  we  were  in  special  need  of  a 
good  lunch  just  at  that  time,  and  on  my  assuring  her  that 
1  would  make  it  all  right  \^ith  Mr.  Colfax,  whom  I  expect- 
ed to  meet  in  the  evening,  she  spread  for  us,  there  in  the 
wilderness,  on  rough  boards,  a  repast  the  memory  of  which 
will  long  linger  in  our  thoughts,  and  which  was  all  the 
more  grateful,  in  our  hunger  and  fatigue,  because  it  was  so 
unexpected.  Mrs.  Gobin  deserves  this  tribute  for  her  ge- 
nial manners  and  her  generous  fare.  Her  native  modesty 
is  such  a  striking  trait  in  her  character  that  I  have  no 
doubt  her  ruddy  face  will  assume  a  deeper  blush  should 
she  chance  to  see  her  name  in  print;  but  she  is  one  of 
those  public  benefactors  that  can  by  no  means  escape  a 
measure  of  immortality,  and  1  take  pleasure  m  handing 
her  down  to  the  notice  of  coming  generations. 

Before  descending,  let  us  take  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the 
Valley.  It  is  a  cleft  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  vary- 
ing from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile  in  width,  six  miles  in  length, 
with  two  branches  at  the  head  of  the  Valley  running  one 
or  two  miles  farther  in  opposite  directions,  the  walls  on 
both  sides  and  throughout  its  whole  extent  being  nearly 
perpendicular,  and  from  three  to  six  thousand  feet  in  height. 
The  brow  of  El  Capitan,  the  guardian  promontory,  actually 
projects  ove."  the  Valley,  which  lies  three  thousand  feet  be- 


TMi:  YOSEMITE  VALLEY  AND  THE  BIG  TliEEH. 


51 


low.  The  Eiver  Merced,  a  large  stream  of  the  purest  wa- 
ter, tlows  through  it,  connecting  it  in  a  way  with  the  outer 
world,  althougli  the  course  of  the  stream  as  it  enters  or 
lea-ves  the  Valley  affords  no  ingress  or  egress  for  the  trav- 
eler. It  enters  by  two  successive  perpendicular  falls  of 
six  hundred  and  four  hundred  feet,  and  leaves  the  Valley 
by  such  a  rugged  channel,  between  such  lofty  walls,  that 
no  foot  can  follow  it.  The  Valley  throughout  its  whole 
extent  is  a  plain,  with  only  sufKcient  descent  for  the  flow 
ot  the  river,  the  bottom  having  an  elevation  of  four  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  its  sides  from  half 
a  mile  to  more  than  a  mile  additional  height.  Whether  it 
was  formed  when  the  Avorld  was  made,  or  by  some  great 
throe  of  nature  long  afterward ;  whether  the  Valley  itself 
was  made  by  the  sinking  of  the  bottom  several  thousand 
feet,  or  by  the  slow  action  of  ordinary  causes ;  whether  it 
was  once  the  bed  of  a  glacier  or  of  a  seething  caldron, 
geologists  will  probably  discuss  as  long  as  geology  remains 
such  an  uncertain  science.  But  the  solution  of  such  ques- 
tions is  not  at  all  material  to  the  appreciation  of  the  won- 
ders and  beauties  of  this  remarkable  place ;  and  I  prefer, 
as  most  travelers  will,  to  take  the  Valley  just  as  it  is  now, 
rather  than  as  it  might  have  been  in  remote  ages  of  the 
}mst ;  nor  shall  I  attempt  to  solve  the  problems  connected 
with  this  wonderful  phenomenon. 

There  are  only  two  practicable  routes  into  or  out  of  the 
Valley.  They  are  both  near  the  lower  extremity  and  on 
opposite  sides,  and  lead  by  narrow,  zigzag  pathways  down 
the  precipitous  sides.  There  are  numerous  places  in  the 
descent  where  the  turning  of  a  saddle,  or  the  misstep  of  a 
horse,  or  the  sliding  of  the  horse's  foot  on  the  rock  might 
hurl  the  rider  a  thousand  feet  upon  the  rocks.  Knowing 
some  of  the  difficulties,  not  to  say  dangers,  of  the  passage, 
I  had  all  day  added  my  exertions  to  those  of  the  guide  in 
urging  the  party  onward,  that  we  might  have  daylight  for 
descending,  but  it  was  near  sunset  Avhen  we  reached  the 
brow  of  the  mountain. 


52  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

Our  guide,  having  adjusted  and  secured  every  saddle, 
took  the  lead,  the  ladies  taking  position  next,  and  in  solemn 
silence  we  followed,  single  lile.  I  would  not,  for  all  the 
gold  in  California,  have  made  the  descent  an  hour  later  on 
a  moonless  nio-ht,  althouo-li  it  has  been  done  in  the  dark. 
As  it  was,  the  sun  had  actually  set  before  we  had  taken 
one  hasty  look  up  and  down  the  Valley  and  commenced 
the  passage.  Committing  ourselves,  step  by  step,  to  the 
care  of  the  great  Guide,  who  has  said, "  He  shall  give  his 
angels  charge  over  thee,  to  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways ;  they 
shall  bear  thee  up  in  their  hands,  lest  thou  dash  thy  foot 
against  a  stone,"  we  rode  on,  the  curtains  of  night  gather- 
ing closer  and  closer  about  us,  until  before  we  reached  the 
plain  the  last  rays  of  daylight  had  vanished,  and  we  could 
only  look  up  to  the  night-lamps  of  heaven  for  the  glimmer 
that  guided  us.  But  the  skies  were  perfectly  clear,  and 
the  hosts  of  heaven  came  out  in  unwonted  numbers  to 
watch  us  as  we  slowly  wound  our  way  down  tlie  mountain. 

The  descent  occupied  considerably  more  than  an  hour, 
and  on  reaching  the  foot  we  were  still  five  miles  from  the 
hotel,  which  was  higher  up  the  Valley.  After  a  few  mo- 
ments' rest  and  a  refreshing  draught  from  a  brook,  we  re- 
sumed our  ride.  Four  miles  on  we  forded  the  Merced, 
where,  getting  some  idea  of  the  locality  of  the  hotel  from 
tlie  guide,  and  leaving  the  rest  to  follow  on  under  his  care 
at  a  walking  gait,  I  gave  the  reins  to  my  horse,  and,  trust- 
mg  altogether  to  his  knowledge  of  the  trail,  dashed  off  at 
full  gallop  through  the  wood.  About  half  a  mile  from 
Hutchings's,  as  I  came  out  upon  a  cleai-ing,  an  immense 
bonfire  almost  blinded  me.  A  large  company  was  assem- 
bled at  Leidig's  to  give  a  sort  of  barbacue  to  Mr.  Colfax, 
who,  with  a  large  party,  including  Lieutenant  Governor 
Bross,  of  Illinois,  and  Mr.  Bowles,  of  the  Springfield  Re- 
jniblican,  was  at  Hutchings's.  Reining  in  my  horse  merely 
to  ask  for  the  trail,  I  dashed  again  into  the  thicket,  and 
after  another  half  mile  dismounted  at  tlie  celebrated  but 
not  very  splendid  house  of  Mr.  J.  M.  Hutchings,  the  genius 


THE  YOSEMITE  VALLEY  AND  TEE  BIG  TREES. 


53 


of  the  Valley,  "who  first  brought  it  into  public  notice.  Xever 
was  a  place  of  rest  more  welcome  to  weary  travelers  than 
was  this  rude  hotel. 

Awakened  early  in  the  morning  by  the  noise  of  depart- 
iuff  o-uests,  and  bv  the  conversation  of  those  who  remained, 
which,  as  the  house  is  a  mere  shell,  could  be  heard  by  all 
in  common,  we  came  out  to  take  our  first  look  by  daylight 
at  the  Valle}',  its  gigantic  walls  and  lofty  waterfalls.  Di- 
rectly in  front  of  tlie  hotel  the  Yosemite  Fall  meets  the  eye, 


iW.    V 


YOSEMITE   FALL. 


the  water  dropping  gently  over  the  brow  of  the  opposite 
cliif  1500  feet,  then  strikino;  the  rock,  and  flowino-  on  in  a 
cascade  620  feet  farther,  when  it  makes  a  final  leap  of  400 
feet,  and  is  gathered  up  in  the  basin  below.  In  the  course 
of  the  morning  we  walked  to  the  foot  of  the  fall,  half  a  mile 


54  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

distant,  and  sat  and  listened  to  tlie  story  of  tlie  stream  wliicli 
had  fallen  from  the  dizzy  height,  and  drank  of  the  pure  wa- 
ter as  it  flowed  quietly  away  toward  the  Merced.  The  vol- 
ume of  water  at  this  season  of  the  year  is  not  large,  but  no 
accumulation  could  add  to  the  gracefulness  of  this  highest 
of  the  falls.  The  height  is  so  great  that  the  stream  is  some- 
times turned  aside  from  the  perpendicular  by  the  wind  sway- 
ing it  to  and  fro  like  a  sheet  of  gauze,  and  occasionally  it  is 
almost  lost  in  mist  in  making  the  long  descent  in  air. 

From  the  hotel,  or  its  immediate  vicinity,  may  be  seen 
several  other  points  of  interest.  Almost  overhanging  it  is 
Sentinel  Kock,  3043  feet  high,  on  which  a  flag  is  still  ilying 
that  was  long  ago  fastened  there  by  some  adventurous 
youth.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  Valley,  and  about  a 
mile  farther  up,  is  the  North  Dome,  a  perfectly  bald  moun- 
tain of  gray  granite,  the  side  presented  to  the  Valley  glis- 
tening in  the  sunlight  as  if  it  had  been  polished  by  hand. 
This  is  3568  feet  above  the  Valley.  A  much  finer  view  of 
it  may  be  "liad  from  the  trail  leading  to  the  Vernal  Falls, 
from  which  point  the  dome  is  as  perfect  as  that  of  St.  Pe- 
ter's at  Rome.  Directlv  across  one  of  the  branches  of  the 
Valley  is  another  rock  of  much  greater  height,  being  4737 
feet  above  the  Valley,  the  Half  Dome,  having  the  appear- 
ance of  being  cleft  fi-om  another  half,  but  without  any  cor- 
responding portion  to  complement  it.  These  mountains  of 
rock,  which  have  been  hewn  into  their  present  state  M'ith 
consummate  skill,  are  composed  of  the  adamantine  granite, 
which  has  left  l:)ut  few  marks  of  the  passage  of  time  in  any 
thino;  like  debris  at  their  base.  The  small  amount  of  de- 
bris  at  the  foot  of  the  cliffs,  in  some  cases  its  entire  absence, 
is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  characteristics  of  these  rocky 
walls.  I  noticed  one  spot  where  the  rock  was  3000  feet  in 
perpendicular  height,  and  the  greensward  came  square  up 
to  its  base. 

After  the  ride  of  yesterday  we  were  content  to  spend  the 
greater  part  of  the  day  in  the  quiet  study  of  what  could  be 
seen  from  our  quarters,  but  at  4  o'clock  we  mounted  our 


THE  YOSEMITE  VALLEY  AND  THE  BIG  TREES. 


00 


horses  for  a  ride  down  the  Valley  to  El  Capitan  and  the 
Fall  of  the  Bridal  Veil,  about  live  miles  distant.     The  af  t- 


FALI-   OF   THE   BEIDAL  VEIL. 


ernoon  was  beautiful ;  the  golden  light  of  the  descending 
sun  was  streaming  up  the  A^allev,  gilding  the  mountain  sides 
and  rocky  peaks,  and  when  we  reached  the  fall  lighting  it 
up  as^  for  a  bridal.  This  is  the  most  delicate  of  all  the 
falls,  the  line  of  water  in  its  clear  descent  being  woven  by 
the  wind  into  thin  lace.  After  fastening  our  horses  we  took 
our  seats  upon  the  rocks,  and  sat,  and  gazed,  and  talked  of 
its  wondrous  beauty  until  our  guide  reminded  us  that  night 
was  comiuo-  on.     A  little  hiirher  up  theVallev  are  the  Ca- 


56 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


OATUEBEAL   E0CK8. 


tliedral  Rocks,  the  most  varied  group  of  the  Yalley,  while 
just  opposite  stands  the  guardian,  El  Capitan,  one  miglity 
mass  or  shaft,  rising  up  from  the  river's  edge  3300  feet,  un- 
til its  brow  appears  to  lean  over  its  base. 

Another  morning  found  us  early  in  the  saddle,  and  on 
our  way  to  Mirror  Lake,  which  lies  ever  slumbering  be- 
tween the  K^orth  and  Half  Dome.  The  reflection  from  its 
surface  is  not  only  perfect,  but  absolutely  surprising.  In 
Watkins's  photographic  gallery  at  San  Francisco  (a  collec- 
tion, by  the  way,  which  every  one  who  goes  to  theYalley 
should  see)  are  several  views  of  this  remarkable  lake,  and 
no  one  could  distinguish  in  the  photographs  the  reflection 
from  the  mountains  themselves  bv  any  difference  in  the 
distinctness  of  the  pictures,  and  the  views  above  and  below 


THE  YOSEMITE  VALLEI  AND  THE  BIG  TREES. 


57 


are  equally  extensive.  The  famed  upright  reflection,  pre- 
senting the  trees  on  one  side  of  the  mountain  in  their  nat- 
ural position,  I  satisfied  myself,  was  a  mere  delusion  caused 
by  the  shape  of  the  trees,  and  not  any  remarkable  phenom- 
enon. 

The  grand  feature  in  our  visit  to  the  lake  was  the  sun- 
rise above,  or  rather  belo^\',  the  brow  of  the  Half  Dome, 
•1700  feet  down  in  the  depths  of  the  water.  We  watched 
for  it  half  an  hour  or  more  ;  at  length  the  edge  of  the  cliff, 
reflected  almost  directly  beneath  our  feet,  was  touched  with 
gold — in  a  moment  more  the  brilliant  edge  of  the  sun  fell 
below  the  cliff,  and  all  the  glory  of  a  sunrise  in  the  moun- 
tains, inverted  and  beneath  the  waters  of  an  apparently 
fathomless  lake,  burst  upon  us.     The  sun  sailed  down  into 


IIIKKOK  LAKE. 


58 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


the  deep  ether,  instead  of  rising  as  it  was  wont.  The  effect 
was  so  singular  and  striking  that  I  fear  my  description  will 
give  no  idea  of  it  as  it  appeared  to  our  wondering  eyes. 

The  sun  now  being  fairly  up,  or  rather  down  in  the  lake, 
we  remounted,  and  galloped  over  the  rough  trail  and  uj) 
the  other  branch  of  the  Valley  to  the  Yernal  and  the  Ne- 
vada Falls.  These  are  both  upon  the  same  stream,  which 
is  one  of  the  main  branches  of  the  Merced,  and  a  stream  of 
large  volume.  Access  to  the  falls  is  not  without  difficulty, 
nor  altogether  without  danger,  owing  to  the  rudeness  of 
the  pathway  which  lies  along  the  rocky  chasm.  One  lady 
in  our  company,  though  not  of  our  own  party,  actually  gave 
out  and  was  left  behind,  while  we  pressed  forward.  We 
were  a  thousandfold  repaid  for  all  our  toil,  and  forgot  all 


VERNAL   FALL. 


THE  YOSEMITE  VALLEY  AND  THE  BIG  TEEES.  59 

danger  as  we  stood  in  the  spray,  lirst  of  the  Vernal  Fall, 
•iOO  feet  in  height,  and  without  a  break.  The  rainbow 
which  covered  it  like  a  promise  was  as  perfect  and  brilliant 
as  the  sun  itself ;  in  some  directions  of  the  wind,  blowing 
the  spray  toward  the  spectator,  it  becomes  a  circular  bow, 
and  sometimes  a  double  circle.  Ascending  the  dizzy  height 
by  the  ladders  which  were  placed  against  the  wall,  and 
which  were  by  no  means  an  inviting  pathway,  we  found  a 
rocky  pai-apet  directly  over  the  fall,  and  the  sight  from 
above  was  equal  to  that  from  below,  although  the  reverse 
of  it.  The  river  seemed  a  mass  of  falling  crystals  instead 
of  a  stream  of  water. 

Following  the  stream  half  a  mile  farther  up,  along  a 
succession  of  cascades  and  race-courses  not  unlike  the  rap- 
ids at  Niagara,  although  more  picturesque,  we  took  our 
seats  on  the  rocks  near  the  foot  of  the  Nevada  Fall,  by 
n:iany  considered  the  most  striking,  if  not  tlie  most  beauti- 
ful of  all  the  falls.  It  is  600  feet  in  height.  We  could 
have  spent  the  day  at  this  spot  watching  the  stream  as  it 
fell  in  vast  masses  over  the  brow  of  the  cataract,  occasion- 
ally holding  back  as  if  to  gather  courage  for  the  terrific 
plunge,  and  then  with  accumulated  force  falling  into  the 
deep  basin  at  its  foot.  There  was  a  constant  vibration,  a 
pulsation  of  one  or  two  seconds'  interval  in  the  falling  mass, 
which  was  now  less,  and  now  greater. 

Near  the  upper  or  Nevada  Fall  rises  the  loftiest  peak 
about  the  Valley,  called  the  Cap  of  Liberty,  from  its  close 
resemblance  in  shape  to  this  ancient  emblem  of  our  nation- 
ality, and  also  known  as  Mt.  Broderick.  It  is  a  lofty  rock 
of  granite  rising  4600  feet  above  the  Valley,  smooth  as  a 
helmet,  and  yet  quite  accessible.  The  view  from  its  sum- 
mit of  the  whole  region  which  it  overtops  is  said  to  be  mag- 
nificent, and  I  should  have  made  the  expedition  but  for  the 
want  of  another  day  to  devote  to  it.  The  ascent  can  be 
made  with  ease  in  a  day,  in  connection  with  a  visit  to  the 
Vernal  and  Nevada  Falls,  by  taking  an  early  start  in  the 
morning,  and  omitting  for  the  day  the  visit  to  Mirror  Lake, 


60  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

but  110  one  who  has  not  strong  powers  of  endurance  should 
undertake  it. 

After  dinner,  the  last  day  of  my  visit,  mine  host  proposed 
to  me  to  go  out  and  persuade  some  of  the  beautiful  deni- 
zens of  the  Merced,  wliom  I  had  seen  disporting  themselves 
in  its  crystal  waters,  to  join  us  at  breakfast  the  next  morn- 
ing. I  had  been  from  boyhood  on  intimate  terms  with  their 
speckled  cousins  east  of  the  Eocky  Mountains,  and,  nothing 
loth,  accepted  the  invitation.  In  a  little  more  than  an  hour 
we  returned  with  a  string  of  trout,  many  of  them  half  a 
pound  each,  whicli  together  weighed  precisely  ten  pounds. 
-Deponent  did  his  full  share  in  hooking  them,  but  Emanuel, 
a  Mexican  muleteer  boy,  who  had  gone  with  us  to  carry  our 
lish,  and  wdio  had  provided  himself  with  a  line  and  a  rude 
pole,  was  the  hero  of  the  hour.  Hearing  a  violent  struggle 
going  on  a  short  distance  from  us,  and  running  to  see  what 
the  fight  might  be,  I  found  he  had  just  landed  a  trout  that 
weighed  at  the  hotel  two  pounds  and  five  ounces.  The 
trout  of  the  Western  slope  are  very  similar  to  our  own,  with 
the  exception  of  the  gold  and  vermilion  spots,  which  are 
entirely  wanting.  How  they  have  lost  them,  or  whether 
tliey  ever  had  any,  I  am  not  informed. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening,  when  my  hook  and  line 
went  by  the  board,  I  gave  myself  up  to  the  admiration  of 
the  heavens,  the  glory  of  which,  in  the  perfect  clearness  of 
the  atmosphere,  was  indescribable.  There  was  no  moon, 
but  the  stars  seemed  multiplied,  if  not  magnified,  tenfold, 
and  shone  with  a  splendor  which  I  have  never  se&n  equaled 
elsewhere.  Looking  up  into  the  bright  heavens  from  out 
the  deep  valley,  whose  w^alls  on  both  sides  were  more  than 
half  a  mile  in  perpendicular  height,  was  like  looking  at 
them  through  a  telescope,  and  there  was  a  strange  fascina- 
tion in  tlie  scene.  Recalling  the  impressions  which  the 
long  vision  made  upon  my  mind,  I  can  scarcely  tell  which 
transfixed  me  most  with  admiration,  the  pei-fect,  positive 
purity  of  the  air,  or  the  intense  brilliancy  of  the  myriad 
lamps  of  the  skies. 


THE  YOSEMITE  VALLEY  AND  THE  BIG  TREES.  (31 

The  Yosemite  Yalley,  being  a  part  of  the  public  lands  of 
the  United  States,  was  ceded  to  the  State  of  California  by 
act  of  Congress  in  1864, "upon  the  express  condition  that 
the  premises  shall  be  held  for  public  use,  resort,  and  rec- 
reation, and  shall  be  inalienable  for  all  time."  It  is  in  the 
hands  of  commissioners  appointed  by  the  state,  but  nothing 
is  done  to  make  it  more  accessible,  or  to  make  the  routes 
to  the  various  parts  of  the  Valley  more  practicable  and  less 
dangerous.  There  are  some  pri\ate  claimants  to  lands  in 
the  Valley  which  ought  in  some  way  to  be  disposed  of,  and 
then  a  liberal  annual  appropriation  should  be  made  by  the 
State  of  California,  or  by  the  United  States,  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  trails  to  and  through  and  around  the  Valley. 
It  is  a  shame  that  this  wonder  in  the  world's  scenerv,  hav- 
ing  such  a  proprietor  as  the  Golden  State,  should  be  suf- 
fered to  lie  in  such  a  condition,  when  a  few  thousand  dol- 
lars a  year  would  make  it  comparatively  easy  of  access,  and 
greatly  facilitate  the  approach  to  its  various  objects  of  in- 
terest and  of  wonder. 

I  have  been  often  asked  since  visiting  the  Valley  whether 
it  equaled  my  expectations,  and  my  answer  is  that  of  every 
one  whom  I  have  met  who  has  made  the  pilgrimage :  it  is 
far  grander  and  more  wonderful  than  any  tiling  I  had  con- 
ceived. Pictures  and  photographs  give  the  outlines,  but 
convey  no  idea  of  the  lofty  sublimity  of  those  walls  of 
granite  which  inclose  you  on  every  side,  and  which  reach 
far  up  into  the  blue  ether  by  day  and  toward  the  stars  by 
night.  So  complete  is  the  isolation,  and  so  perfect  this  in- 
closure,  that  many  persons  on  getting  into  the  Valley  are 
seized  with  a  kind  of  apprehension  that  they  shall  never  be 
able  to  get  out,  as  if  they  had  been  let  down  from  the  clouds 
into  some  deep  chasm  far  remote  from  human  abodes. 

Bright  and  beautiful  was  the  morning  that  we  were  to 
take  our  leave  of  the  Valley  of  Wonders,  as,  indeed,  was 
every  morning.  Only  once  during  the  days  and  nights  of 
our  sojourn  had  we  seen  a  cloud  against  the  sky,  and  this 
was  in  keeping  with  the  rest  of  the  scene.     It  was  while 


Q2  AROUND  THE  WOJiLD. 

we  were  seated  at  the  foot  of  the  Nevada  Falls,  looking  up 
at  its  summit,  that  a  bank  of  cloud,  whiter  than  the  driven 
snow,  rolled  over  the  brow  of  the  mountain  and  hung  there 
for  a  long  time,  as  if  it  belonged  to  the  mountain  instead 
of  the  air. 

We  rose  early  to  leave  the  Yalley.  The  trout  were 
w^aiting  for  us  at  the  breakfast  table,  and,  these  dispatch- 
ed, our  train  of  prancing  steeds  (diminutive  mustangs  and 
donkeys)  were  brought  up  to  the  door.  The  process  of  ar- 
ranging and  rearranging  the  saddles  over,  no  momentar}^ 
prelude  to  the  journey,  we  mounted,  and  presently  were 
galloping  single  file  down  the  Valley.  In  the  morning 
sunlight  we  passed  the  Cathedral  Kocks  and  El  Capitan, 
stretching  our  eyes  once  more  to  reach  their  tops  and  com- 
prehend the  dizzy  height.  We  paused  once  again  before 
the  Bridal  Yeil  to  see  it  woven  afresh  into  fleecy  lace,  and 
then  wafted  into  thin  mist,  and  then  dissipated  into  thin 
air.  We  reached,  at  length,  the  foot  of  the  mountain, 
and  prepared  for  the  ascent.  It  appeared  by  no  means  as 
perilous  as  when,  in  the  gathering  darkness,  we  had  slowly 
wound  our  way  down  its  precipitous  sides.  Slowly  we 
wound  our  way  up  again,  often  pausing  to  suffer  our  faith- 
ful and  patient  animals  to  gather  breath,  and  at  length 
reaching  the  top  and  taking  our  stand  together  upon  the 
bald  summit  which  looks  into  and  far  up  the  Valley,  the 
perils  and  the  chief  fatigue  of  the  excursion  over,  we  join- 
ed in  singing,  to  the  tune  of  Old  Hundred, 

"  Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow." 

The  sound  of  our  voices  died  away  long  before  it  reached 
the  deep  valley  above  which  we  were  standing,  but  it 
went  up,  we  trust,  into  the  ear  of  Him  who  shaped  this 
wonderful  Valley,  and  set  these  mountains  fast  by  the 
word  of  his  power. 

Inspiration  Point,  which  is  on  the  Mariposa  route,  just 
before  making  the  descent  into  the  Valley,  affords  the 
finest  comprehensive  view  of  the  whole  scene  to  be  liad 


THE  TOSEMITE  VALLEY  AND  THE  BIG  TREES.  Q^ 

from  any  point.  This  route  should  be  taken  either  in  go- 
ing into  or  in  leaving  the  Valley,  not  merely  on  account  of 
the  commanding  view  which  the  point  affords,  but  to  vary 
the  route,  and  to  afford  an  opportunity  for  visiting  the  sev- 
eral groves  of  the  gigantic  trees  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
range,  among  the  greatest  wonders  of  California,  which 
all  lie  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Yosemite  Valley. 

The  first  sti'ong  desire  to  visit  the  California  coast  that  I 
ever  felt  was  excited  bv  readino;  the  accounts  of  the  Bier 
Trees,  as  they  are  usually  called,  the  great  marvel  of  the 
veo-etable  world,  and  the  lono-infi:  to  behold  them  with  mv 
owTi  eyes  never  subsided  until,  tape  in  hand,  I  took  their 
proportions.  I  am  satisfied,  but  disappointed.  They  are 
just  as  large  as  they  have  been  represented,  the  same  num- 
ber of  feet  in  diameter  and  in  circumference.  I  made  my 
measurement  with  an  accurate  line,  and  found  ever}"  thing 
right,  but,  on  comparing  my  anticipations  with  what  I  saw. 
I  find  that  I  was  expecting  to  see  each  tree  covering  about 
an  acre  of  ground  with  the  area  of  its  trunk,  to  say  nothing 
of  its  top  extending  slightly  above  the  clouds.  The  truth 
is,  no  one  at  first  sight  can  appreciate,  or  even  comprehend 
the  greatness  of  these  giants  of  the  forest,  and  this  for  sev- 
eral reasons.  Our  conceptions  of  magnitudes,  or  heights 
and  distances,  are  seldom  accurate.  Very  few  persons 
ever  found  the  Falls  of  Xiasrara  one  half  as  hio-h  as  thev 
expected.  These  trees,  too,  are  so  symmetrical  in  shape,  so 
perfectly  well-proportioned,  and  so  like  other  trees  in  their 
general  aspect,  that  it  is  difficult  to  take  into  one's  mind 
the  simple  element  of  greatness  by  itself.  But  I  imagine 
that  the  main  reason  wh}'  the}'  do  not  at  first  impress  the 
beholder  with  their  immensitj'  is,  that  they  stand  in  the 
midst  of  giants.  To  visit  the  groves  where  they  are  found, 
the  traveler  passes  through  a  regular  gradation,  from  a 
treeless  plain  and  small  oaks,  to  firs  and  pines  which  swell 
out  into  larger  dimensions,  until  trees  of  ordinary  size  be- 
come the  exceptions,  and  great  trees  the  general  rule.  For 
miles  before  reaching:  the  o-jants  themselves  1  saw  scores 


54  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

and  then  hundreds,  and  then,  1  may  say,  thousands  of  sug- 
ar-pines that  would  measure  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  circuin- 
ference ;  trees  of  this;  size  shooting  up  150  feet  in  a  shaft 
as  straight  as  an  arrow,  and  with  scarcely  any  perceptible 
diminution  in  size,  and  then  branching  out  and  rising  100 
feet  higher.  One  man,  who  had  long  occupied  a  ranch  in 
the  vicinity,  told  me  he  had  measured  sugar-pines  that 
were  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  or  forty -five  feet  in  circum- 
ference. After  traveling  through  such  a  forest  for  half  a 
day,  one  is  really  not  in  the  best  state  to  judge  of  big  trees, 
and  when  he  comes  upon  those  that  are  a  little  larger,  he 
may  be  excused  if  he  can  not  open  his  eyes  much  wider, 
and  exclaim  Oh! 

These  wonders  of  the  forest  were  discovered  in  1852  by 
a  hunter,  whose  story  met  with  no  credence  until  others 
had  penetrated  the  same  wilds  and  had  seen  for  themselves. 
They  have  now  a  name  and  celebrity  throughout  the  wide 
world ;  and  although  they  are  not  indigenous  in  any  other 
country,  or  any  part  of  this  country  excepting  the  small 
tract  in  which  they  were  first  found,  they  are  now  growing 
in  almost  every  land,  propagated  from  seeds  taken  in  the 
cone  from  California.  The  tree  grows  rapidly  and  vigor- 
ously in  almost  any  climate,  and  although  few  will  live  to 
see  the  result  of  their  experiments  in  the  production  of 
trees  of  equal  size  with  the  parent  stems,  yet  its  character 
may  be  studied  now  in  almost  every  country.  The  generic 
name  of  the  tree — Sequoia — perpetuates  the  memory  of 
George  Guess,  the  ingenious  Cherokee  half-breed  who  in- 
vented an  alphabet  that  was  for  a  long  time  in  use  among 
that  nation.  His  Indian  name — Sequoyah — was  given  to 
the  newly-discovered  Redwood  of  California  by  the  learn- 
ed botanist  Endlicher,  who  first  defined  the  genus,  calling 
the  tree  Sequoia  Sempervirens.  The  leaf  of  the  Redwood 
is  flat,  like  that  of  the  Arbor  Vitce. 

When  the  great  trees  were  discovered,  the  classification 
became  the  subject  of  much  discussion  in  different  coun- 
tries, and  different  names  were  given ;  but  it  has  at  length 


THE  YOUEMITE  VALLEY  AND  THE  BIG  TREES.  (35 

been  established  that  they  are  of  the  same  genus,  and  an- 
other honor  is  attached  to  the  memory  of  the  Cherokee  ge- 
nius whose  name  is  now  associated  with  the  grandest  pro- 
duction of  the  vegetable  kingdom.  It  is  called  Sequoia 
Giyantea.  It  is  very  snnilar  in  form  and  in  the  general 
appearance  of  the  trunk  to  the  Redwood.  One  not  famil- 
iar with  both  would  scarcely  distinguish  them  as  they  stand 
in  the  forest ;  but  the  leaf  of  the  Gigantea  is  branching, 
like  the  cedar  of  the  Eastern  States,  although  much  longer 
and  stronger,  and  not  flat,  like  the  Sempervirens  and  the 
Arbor  Vitce.  The  Redwood,  which  is  the  common  tree  of 
the  Pacific  slope,  furnishing  a  large  portion  of  its  timber, 
also  attains  to  gigantic  size,  trees  having  been  found,  ac- 
cording to  authentic  reports,  of  little  less  circumference 
than  the  Big  Trees  themselves.  Professor  Whitney,  in  his 
scientific  report  of  the  state,  speaks  of  Redwood  trees  hav- 
ing been  found  all  the  way  fi-om  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in 
diameter,  and  great  numbers  are  now  standing  in  the  for- 
est of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  in  diameter.  The  wood  of  the 
two  species  is  the  same — dark  red,  much  darker  than  any 
cedar  that  I  have  seen,  and  almost  as  light  as  cork.  From 
one  of  the  prostrate  monarchs,  quite  removed  fi-om  the  rest, 
and  giving  evidence  of  having  been  among  the  largest  of 
its  tribe,  I  took  a  sliver  and  had  it  made  into  a  flagstaff. 
It  is  as  dark  in  color  as  old  mahogany. 

There  are  several  groves  of  the  Sequoia  Gigantea^  but 
they  are  all  in  the  vicinity  or  the  direction  of  the  Yosemite 
Valley,  the  principal  trails  to  the  Valley  leading  through 
the  groves.  The  Mariposa  Grove,  although  not  the  first 
discovered,  is  perhaps  the  most  celebrated,  and  will  afford 
the  most  satisfaction  to  those  who  have  not  time  to  visit  all. 
This  is  the  grove  which  was  ceded,  in  connection  with  the 
Yosemite  Valley,  by  act  of  Congress,  to  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia for  preservation.  It  is  situated  about  fifteen  miles 
south  of  the  Valley,  is  5500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
and  has  125  trees  which  are  more  than  forty  feet  in  circum- 
ference.    They  run  do-svn  to  this  diminutive  size  from  nine- 

E 


QQ  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 

ty-two,  ninety-one,  eighty-seven,  eighty-two  feet.  One  tree 
in  this  grove,  now  partially  burned  at  the  base,  was  origin- 
ally more  than  100  feet  in  circumference.  Since  I  was  in 
the  Yalley  1  have  received  an  account  of  a  tree  more  re- 
cently discovered  that  measures  forty  feet  four  inches  in 
diameter,  or  121  feet  in  circumference.  It  is  melancholy 
to  see  how  many  of  the  larger  trees  have  been  felled  by  the 
lire,  and  in  a  great  measure  consumed.  Before  seeing 
them  I  imagined  their  destruction  to  have  been  the  result 
of  mere  vandalism,  but  a  ride  through  the  forest  afforded 
a  more  satisfactory  explanation  of  the  disasters  which  had 
befallen  the  giants.  Every  dense  forest  that  is  visited  by 
man,  either  civilized  or  savage,  is  liable  to  the  ravages  of 
fire,  and  this  is  peculiarly  the  case  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try, where  no  rains  fall  during  several  months  of  the  year. 
The  embers  of  a  camp-fire  or  the  wad  of  a  hunter's  gun 
may  kindle  a  fire  which  will  spread  over  a,  wide  tract,  and 
burn  for  weeks  or  months.  On  our  return  from  the  Valley 
we  passed  through  one  of  these  conflagrations  for  more 
than  a  mile,  at  times  almost  suffocated  by  the  smoke,  and 
not  without  apprehension  that  the  immense  pines  which 
were  blazing  at  their  base,  and  for  fifty  feet  up  the  trunk, 
might  chance  to  fall  very  inconveniently  at  the  moment  of 
our  passing.  The  Sequoia  is  peculiarly  exposed  to  the  rav- 
ages of  fire.  The  bark  of  the  large  trees  is  some  eighteen 
inches  thick,  is  as  fibrous  in  its  texture  as  a  bale  of  cotton, 
and,  being  perfectly  dry,  invites  the  raging  element  to  a 
contest  of  sti-ength.  Some  of  the  trees  have  conquered, 
coming  out  of  the  contest  with  diminished  proportions,  but 
others,  and  these  apparently  the  proudest  monarchs  of  the 
grove,  have  bowed  their  lofty  heads  and  measured  their 
length  upon  the  soil.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  those  which 
have  been  placed  under  the  protection  of  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia will  be  guarded  against  the  approach  of  fire,  as  w^ell 
as  against  all  mutilation  from  any  other  cause. 

The  Calaveras  Grove,  situated  in  another  county,  was  the 
one  first  discovered.     It  is  composed  of  about  100  trees  of 


THE  TOSEMITE  VALLEY  AND  TEE  BIO  TREES.  (57 

large  size,  one  of  which,  twenty -seven  feet  in  diameter,  was 
felled  several  years  since  by  boring  at  its  base,  and  the 
stump,  smoothed  off  about  six  feet  from  the  ground,  has 
been  made  the  scene  of  festivities  in  which  a  large  compa- 
ny has  taken  part.  It  was  then  sheltered  by  the  erection 
of  a  building  over  it.  A  friend  has  given  me  a  statement 
of  the  amount  of  house-room  which  is  afforded  upon  the 
surface  of  the  stump  of  one  of  the  trees.  A  circle  of  thirty 
feet  diameter  contains  707  square  feet.  If  this  could  be 
had  in  squares,  it  would  give  for  a  single  floor  a  parlor  six- 
teen feet  by  twelve ;  a  dining-room  fifteen  feet  by  ten ;  a 
kitchen  twelve  feet  by  ten  ;  two  bedrooms,  each  ten  feet 
by  ten ;  a  pantry  eight  feet  by  four ;  and  a  closet  fom*  feet 
by  two.  Quite  a  roomy  house  for  a  small  family  might 
thus  be  constructed  on  a  single  stump.  This  will  give  a 
good  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  trees ;  or,  if  any  one 
^vislles  to  know  what  space  the  tree  would  cover  on  the 
ground,  let  him  strike  a  circle  with  a  radius  of  fifteen  feet, 
and  he  will  have  it  before  him.  The  tree  in  the  Calaveras 
group  which  was  felled  was  carefully  examined  some  dis- 
tance from  the  ground  to  ascertain  its  age,  and  1255  con- 
centric circles,  indicating  as  many  years,  were  counted. 
There  was,  of  course,  a  gradual  increase  in  the  thickness  of 
the  circles.  The  first  hundred  measured  only  three  inches, 
the  second  hundred  nearly  four  inches,  the  tenth  hundred 
nearly  eight  inches,  and  the  twelfth  hundred  thirteen  inch- 
es, showing  gi-eat  rapidity  of  growth,  and  the  comj^arative 
youth  of  the  trees  considering  their  size.  Another  tree,  of 
seventy-six  feet  circumference,  was  carefully  sawed,  and 
the  rings  counted  to  the  number  of  1935.  Whether  others 
will  yet  be  found  of  still  more  gigantic  size  is  doubtful,  as 
the  forests  have  already  been  extensively  explored ;  but  it 
is  not  at  all  impossible.  The  height  of  these  trees  is  not  so 
great  as  has  sometimes  been  represented,  but  300  or  325 
feet,  which  some  of  them  attain,  is  no  mean  height.  There 
are  taller  trees  in  Australia,  where  the  Eucalyptus  has  been 
known  to  reach  the  height  of  480  feet;  but,  taking  them 


QS  ABOUND  THE  WOULD. 

all  in  all,  there  are  no  vegetable  wonders  elsewhere  that 
equal  the  Big  Trees  of  California. 

On  the  return  to  San  Francisco  we  stopped  for  half  an 
hom-  at  Keith's  gardens,  near  Garrote,  an  extensive  planta- 
tion of  fruit  on  the  edge  of  the  mountain,  and  in  the  very 
midst  of  a  region  which,  being  dug  over  and  over  for  gold, 
is  now  the  picture  of  desolation. .  The  fruits  raised  in  the 
mountain  region — peaches,  grapes,  pears,  etc. — are  consid- 
ered finer  than  those  produced  in  the  low  country.  I  vis- 
ited also  the  extensive  fruit-ranch  of  Dr.  Strentzel,  at  Mar- 
tinez, directly  opposite  Benicia,  which  is  considered  one  of 
the  finest  in  the  state.  He  has  nearly  a  hundred  acres  of 
the  choicest  trees  and  vines,  which  were  loaded  with  the 
fairest  and  finest  fruits — pears  and  apples,  peaches  and 
plums,  figs  and  pomegranates,  etc.^ — such  as  no  other  clime 
can  excel.  It  was  the  finest  exhibition  of  fruit  that  I  have 
ever  seen.  Dr.  S.  has  exhibited  in  its  cultivation  a  discrim- 
ination and  taste  which  was  too  much  neglected  in  the  ear- 
ly days  of  the  state. 

While  waiting  on  the  wharf  at  Benicia  for  a  steamer,  my 
attention  was  attracted  to  a  placard  painted  on  a  board  and 
placed  on  a  high  post,  as  if  containing  important  directions 
for  travelers.  The  same  is  posted  all  over  the  state,  and 
the  following  story  respecting  it  was  related  to  me  by  a 
Californian.  Out  among  the  mountains,  a  miner,  traveling 
alone,  came  to  a  fork  in  the  road,  and,  doubtful  which 
com-se  to  take,  saw,  to  his  great  delight,  what  he  took  to  be 
a  guide-board.  It  was  too  dark  for  him  to  read  it  from 
the  ground,  and  with  great  difficulty  and  many  slides  he 
at  length  succeeded  in  reaching  the  top.  Holding  on  with 
one  hand,  he  struck  a  match  with  the  other,  and  by  the  dim 
light  read  the  following  important  announcement :  "  Fifty- 
five  miles  to  Sacramento,  eighty  miles  to  Stockton,  and  175 
miles  to  the  wholesale  and  retail  store  of  H.  H.  &  Co.. 

Street,  San  Francisco."    They  evidently  understand 

the  art  of  advertising  in  California. 


ON  THE  PACIFIC.  QQ 


ON  THE  PACIFIC. 

On  the  4tli  of  September  we  took  our  traps  on  board  the 
Japan,  one  of  the  large,  splendid  ships  of  the  Pacific  Mail 
Steam-ship  Company  which  ply  between  San  Francisco  and 
Japan  and  China.  We  were  booked  for  a  long  voyage,  not 
being  allowed  to  see  land  for  twenty-two  days,  the  allotted 
time  which,  by  the  rules  of  the  Company,  the  captain  is  re- 
quired to  fill  out  before  reaching  the  port  of  Yokohama. 
Should  he,  by  the  aid  of  favoring  gales,  or  by  any  miscal- 
culation in  regard  to  the  amount  of  coal  consumed,  reach 
the  coast  of  Japan  before  the  time,  he  must  sail  up  and 
down  the  coast  until  the  twentj^-two  days  have  expired, 
and  may  then  run  into  the  Gulf  of  Yeddo  and  land  his 
passengers.  He  may  be  longer  in  making  the  voyage,  but 
he  must  by  no  means  accomplish  it  in  less  time,  although 
it  could  easily  be  made,  without  crowding  the  ship,  in 
eighteen  days.  ! 

The  Japan  is  one  of  the  finest  ships  of  the  fleet  to  which 
she  belongs.  She  measm-es  4351  tons,  is  370  feet  in  length, 
79  in  breadth ;  her  depth  of  hold  is  31|  feet,  and,  as  we 
are  sailing,  she  is  20  feet  out  of  the  water.  Her  cylinder 
is  105  inches  in  diameter,  and  her  smoke-pipe  36  feet  in 
circumference — not  a  very  small  chimney,  reminding  us  of 
the  big  trees  in  California.  She  is  registered  to  carry  1450 
passengers,  of  which  number  we  had  only  about  500,  near- 
ly all  of  these  Chinamen  returning  to  their  former  homes. 
The  ship  carries  thirteen  large  life -boats  all  ready  for 
launching,  each  one  capable  of  floating  some  fifty  persons 
or  more,  but  it  adds  very  little  to  my  sense  of  security  to 
see  this  array  of  life-boats.  In  those  sudden  emergencies 
which  constitute  one  of  the  chief  dangers  of  the  sea,  it  is 


70  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

seldom  that  they  are  successfully  launched,  or  prove  of  an}' 
essential  service  to  the  mass  of  the  passengers. 

The  crew  were  all  Chinese,  as  well  as  the  servants  in  the 
cabin  and  the  waiters  at  the  table,  but  they  were  admirably 
trained,  were  perfectly  quiet,  and  ready  at  every  call  and 
for  every  emergency.  The  fire  alarm  was  sounded  soon 
after  leaving  port,  merely  to  accustom  the  men  to  the  warn- 
ing, the  passengers  having  been  duly  notified,  and  every 
man  was  at  his  post.  Another  day  the  life-raft,  a  large  In- 
dia-rubber float,  was  got  out,  put  in  perfect  order,  and  made 
ready  for  a  launch.  The  Chinese  sailors  are  born  and 
brought  up  on  the  water,  many  of  the  families  of  populous 
cities  living  in  boats,  so  that  they  may  be  considered  a  sort 
of  amphibious  animal,  and  they  would  probably  be  as 
strange  on  land  as  a  fish  out  of  water. 

We  found  in  Captain  Freeman  a  gentlemanly,  polite  ofii- 
cer,  not  only  looking  well  to  his  ship — the  first  duty  of  a 
seaman — but  attending  as  well  to  the  comfort  and  pleasure 
of  his  passengers,  which  can  not  be  said  of  all  captains  on 
the  sea.  I  had  but  one  complaint  to  make  of  tlie  regula- 
tions of  the  ship,  which  in  the  main  were  admirable  and 
rigidly  carried  out,  and  this  complaint  lies  more  against 
the  Company  than  the  master  of  the  ship,  although  in  a 
subsequent  voyage,  in  another  vessel  of  the  same  line,  I 
found  that  the  rule  of  which  I  complain  could  be  and  was 
relaxed  by  the  captain  voluntarily  asking  me  to  perform  a 
service  in  which  no  clergyman  on  board  the  Japan  was  al- 
lowed to  officiate. 

We  passed  through  the  Golden  Gate  on  Saturday,  the 
4th,  and,  getting  out  to  sea,  I  met  on  board  Bishop  Kings- 
ley,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  who  was  on  his 
way  to  visit  the  missions  and  conferences  of  that  Church 
in  Asia  and  Europe,  and  who  died  suddenly  at  Beyrout  the 
following  spring.  I  consulted  with  several  of  the  passen- 
gers, and  finding  them  all  desirous  to  have  religious  serv- 
ices on  the  following  day,  and  obtaining  Bishop  Kingsley's 
consent  to  officiate,  provided  it  were  allowed  by  the  officers 


ON  THE  PACIFIC.  ^^^ 

of  the  ship,  I  went  to  Captain  Freeman,  not  supposing  for 
a  moment  that  it  would  be  forbidden.  But  1  was  inform- 
ed that  it  was  a  rule  of  the  Company  that  the  Episcopal 
service  only  should  be  read  at  the  usual  hour  of  public  wor- 
ship, eleven  o'clock  on  Sunday.  He  stated  that  if  we 
would  conform  to  the  Episcopal  Clnu'ch  by  reading  the 
service  we  could  do  so,  otherwise  it  would  be  read  by  the 
surgeon  of  the  ship,  and  that  would  be  the  only  religious 
exercise  of  the  morning.  As  we  were  neither  competent 
nor  inclined  to  comply  with  this  condition,  we  all  attended 
and  heard  the  service,  or  a  part  of  it,  read  by  a  young  man 
who  seemed  to  feel,  as  he  was  in  reality,  out  of  his  place, 
and  who  curtailed  the  whole  service  to  less  than  twenty 
mmutes.  As  clergymen,  we  were  quite  M'illing  to  be  led  in 
our  devotions  and  to  be  instructed  by  any  competent  per- 
son, and  so  were  the  passengers  generally,  while  we  could 
not  but  regard  it  as  an  indignity  to  all  on  board  that,  when 
ministers  of  the  Gospel  were  present,  and  the  passengers, 
one  and  all,  desired  to  enjoy  their  ministrations,  they  should 
be  deprived  of  the  privilege,  and  delivered  over  into  the 
hands  of  a  surgeon — a  youth  who  made  no  pretensions  to 
religious  character — as  the  only  proper  person  to  minister 
to  them  in  holy  things. 

We  were  very  differently  treated  on  the  voyage  from 
Yokohama  to  Shanghai,  the  captain  alluding  to  the  rule, 
but  very  sensibly  remarking  that  he  thought  it  more  desir- 
able to  have  religious  service  properly  conducted  by  a  cler- 
gyman than  to  have  it  administered  in  the  manner  men- 
tioned above.  I  hope,  ere  this,  the  Company  has  modified 
its  standing  order. 

So  far  as  the  sea  itself  and  its  sights  were  concerned, 
we  had  a  tame  voyage.  We  did  not  have  even  the  variety 
of  first  "  seeing  a  ship  and  then  shipping  a  sea,"  which  one 
may  have  at  any  time  on  the  Atlantic.  We  saw  one  ship. 
On  the  seventh  day  out,  just  at  dusk,  a  sail  was  descried  on 
the  horizon,  ten  or  twelve  miles  distant,  quite  out  of  our 
course,  and  standing  toward  the  northeast.     The  usual  dis- 


VJ, 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


eussion  ensued  as  to  what  she  was,  where  from  and  where 
l)Ound,  but  we  are  all  profoundly  ignorant  to  this  day  on 
this  important  point.  One  ship  that  we  expected  to  see  we 
did  not  see.  On  leaving  San  Francisco  we  were  informed 
that  we  should  meet  the  homeward-bound  steamer  in  mid- 
ocean  and  exchange  mails,  and  accordingly  we  waited  day 
after  day,  with  our  packages  of  letters  ready.  On  this 
hangs  a  tale  which  I  shall  presently  relate. 

One  evening  word  came  to  the  saloon  that  the  lights  of 
the  coming  steamer  were  in  sight,  and  we  were  all  on  deck 
in  time  to  see  a  beautiful  little  star  sink  below  the  horizon. 
When  we  had  given  up  the  steamer  we  watched  for  whales, 
and  some  of  these  sea-monsters  made  their  appearance  near 
the  ship ;  and  then  we  took  to  watching  the  flying-fish  as 
they  came  ont  of  their  native  element  on  short  excursions 
in  the  upper  air.     With  their  silver  bodies  and  transparent 


FLYI^iG   FISU. 


winss,  thev  are  as  beautiful  as  a  bird,  and  their  flight  is  bv 
no  means  ungraceful.  Some  of  them  flew  from  one  to  two 
hundred  feet  before  going  below  to  moisten  their  wings. 
The  sea-birds  never  left  us,  even  when  more  than  a  thou- 
sand miles  from  any  land,  and  I  could  not  help  feeling  a 


ON  THE  PACIFIC. 


73 


deep  sympathy  for  them,  living  so  far  away  from  the  rest 
of  the  world.  But  if  they  prefer  such  a  life,  I  have  noth- 
ing to  say  against  it.  I  know  they  did  not  ask  for  any 
sympath}^,  or  seem  to  need  it. 

One  evening  we  had  a  brilliant  lunar  rainbow,  exhibit- 
ing the  prismatic  colors  very  distinctly,  but  in  its  indefinite- 
ness  of  outline  it  bore  the  same  relation  to  the  solar  rain- 
bow that  moonlight  does  to  sunlight.  Though  unusually 
bright,  it  had  a  dreamy,  mysterious  look  that  w^as  fascina- 
ting rather  than  satisfying.  We  have  had  little  opportu- 
nity to  study  the  sea  in  its  various  moods ;  it  was  almost  an 
unbroken  calm. 

The  first  day  after  leaving  San  Francisco,  while  we  were 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  land,  we  had  one  of  those  long  ground 
swells  w^iicli  are  so  apt  to  turn  the  thoughts  inward,  and 
many  of  our  passengers  seemed  to  feel  in  duty  bound  to 
conform  to  the  custom  of  the  sea.  Their  meditations,  if  I 
were  to  judge  from  their  visages,  became  by  no  means 
sweet ;  but  when  we  were  once  fairly  on  the  bosom  of  the 
deep,  they  all  smiled  again,  and  our  voyage  was  as  pleasant 
as  one  could  desire.  We  had  one  little  episode,  wdiich  only 
helped  us  to  appreciate  fair  weather  and  a  smooth  sea.  On 
the  seventeenth  day  out,  as  we  w^ere  seated  at  the  lunch- 
table,  a  heavy  gale  struck  us  broadside,  and  the  grand  old 
ship  made  a  graceful  bow  sideways.  For  several  hours  the 
wind  blew  a  pretty  stiff  gale,  lashing  up  the  sea  and  spread- 
ing the  wdiitecaps  profusely  over  its  surface.  At  dinner 
we  found  the  racks  upon  the  table  to  hold  our  soup  and 
other  eatables  fast  and  prevent  their  reaching  our  laps  too 
summarily  instead  of  going  down  the  natural  way.  For 
some  reason  unexplained,  several  of  the  passengers  con 
eluded  they  would  not  take  dinner  that  day,  but  matters 
became  more  quiet  in  the  course  of  the  night,  and  all  went 
on  smoothly  ao-ain. 

But  whatever  of  variety  was  wanting  in  the  sea  and  its 
changes  was  abundantly  supplied  by  our  occupations  and 
diversions   on   shipboard.     It  does  not  require  much  to 


74  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

amuse  a  child,  and  not  much  more  to  entertain  grown-up 
men  and  women  at  sea.  In  a  long  voyage,  every  incident, 
however  trifling,  is  invested  with  an  importance  which 
would  be  incomprehensible  to  those  on  shore.  This  is  not 
because  we  become  children  in  going  to  sea,  but  because,  in 
some  circumstances,  we  must  make  the  most  of  every  thing. 

It  took  us  two  or  three  days  to  get  used  to  the  sea  and 
to  one  another,  and  to  learn  each  other's  histories  (it  is 
wonderful  what  an  amount  of  information,  good  and  bad, 
in  regard  to  one  another,  we  do  gather  up  in  the  course  of 
two  or  three  days),  and  then  little  groups  began  to  form 
and  to  pass  an  occasional  hour  on  deck,  or  in  the  upper 
saloon,  in  singing  home  songs,  all  of  them  sacred,  but  not 
all  religious.  Then  we  had  afternoon  lectures,  and  in  the 
evenings  literary  readings,  and  sometimes  there  were  games 
in  which  the  large  children  joined  with  as  much  zest  as 
any  of  the  small  children.  And  then  we  had  puzzles  of 
various  kinds,  and  charades,  and  the  whole  portfolio  of 
amusements  laid  up  in  the  past  was  overhauled,  and  all 
that  was  available  was  brought  out  and  brought  into  requi- 
sition. Our  good  Captain  Freeman  and  others  of  the  ship's 
officers  were  as  big  boys  and  as  good  boys  as  any  on  board, 
and  all  seemed  ready  to  perform  their  parts. 

We  had  been  but  a  few  davs  at  sea  when  some  of  the 

ft/ 

passengers  determined  to  get  up  a  newspaper,  and  accord- 
ingly issued  a  Pi'ospectus,  giving  the  reasons  for  such  an 
undertaking,  the  chief  of  which  was  that  no  American  can 
live  M'ithout  his  newspaper,  and  that  it  is  as  essential  in  the 
midst  of  this  wide  ocean  as  upon  any  narrow  strip  of  land. 
One  of  the  objects  to  be  advocated  by  the  paper  was  the 
obtaining  from  the  powers  that  be  eight  instead  of  four 
meals  a  day,  and  an  imlimited  increase  in  the  speed  of  the 
ship.  The  first  number  of  the  paper,  which  was  semi- 
weekly,  and  was  called  "  The  Ocean  Wave,"  was  issued 
on  Saturday,  September  11th,  and  was  received  with  great 
favor  by  its  numerous  subscribers.  I  make  some  extracts 
from  the  opening  number : 


ON  THE  PACIFIC.  ^^-5 

"Passengers  on  board  the  steam-ship  'Japan,'  who  lie  awake 
by  night  and  sleep  by  day,  must  have  noticed  that  the  steam- 
er regularly  lays  to  at  about  4  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The 
officers  of  the  steamer,  with  a  disingenuousness  that  merits 
the  severest  reprobation,  have  endeavored  to  convey  the  im- 
pression that  this  is  done  to  enable  the  steward  to  go  a  fish- 
ing, and  that  he  thus  catches  a  daily  supply  of  codfish  balls, 
potted  sardines,  and  stuffed  crabs ;  also  that  some  of  the  crew 
are  at  the  same  time  sent  ashore  for  fresh  cabbage  and  tur- 
nips. The  reporters  of  'The  Ocean  Wave'  (Long  may  it 
wave !),  with  their  well-known  vigilance,  have  been  on  the 
alert,  and  have  made  the  discovery  that  the  P.  M.  S.  S.  Co. 
have  a  telegraph  wire  laid  across  the  Pacific  Ocean,  with  sta- 
tions at  regular  intervals,  and  that  the  steamer  is  stopped 
every  morning  to  communicate  with  either  shore  to  learn 
the  price  of  pork  and  beans,  that  the  quantity  allowed  for 
lunch  may  be  regulated  accordingly.  The  conductors  of 
'The  Ocean  Wave'  (Long  may  it  wave!),  after  a  protracted 
negotiation  with  the  Company  at  New  York,  carried  on 
through  the  Pacific  Cable  at  incredible  expense,  such  as  none 
but  a  well-established  journal  like  our  own  could  inci\r,  have 
made  arrangements  to  receive  the  news  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  up  to  the  hour  of  our  going  to  press.  "W  e  are  thus 
enabled  to  present  to  our  readers  the  following  interesting 
and  important  intelligence  from  both  continents." 

Then  follows  a  list  of  liead-liues,  among  wliicli  are  the 

following : 

"Highly  important  intelligence  from  all  parts  of  theWorld." 
"Earthquake  at  San  Francisco  :  Great  loss  of  life  and  destruc- 
tion of  Property,"  "  Sanguinary  Battle  between  the  Bulls 
and  Bears  in  New  York  City."  "  Brilliant  Reception  of  the 
President  at  Communipaw."  "Diabolical  Conspiracy  against 
the  Emperor  of  P^'rance,"  etc.,  etc. 

I  give  below  a  specimen  of  the  dispatches : 

'■'■San  Francisco^  9  o'clock  P.M..,  Sept.  10, 1869.  Our  ancient 
and  venerable  city  has  again  been  visited  by  one  of  those  ter- 
rible calamities  to  which  tropical  countries  are  liable.  Early 
this  afternoon  portentous  signs  of  the  coming  visitation  awak- 
ened intense  apprehension  among  our  citizens,  who  are  pro- 
verbial for  their  calmness  on  all  occasions.  The  wind  sud- 
denly died  away  to  a  stiff  gale ;  ladies  were  seen  in  some  in- 
stances in  their  cloaks,  but  without  furs  5  gentlemen  were 
content  to  wear  a  single  overcoat,  carrying  the  other  on  the 


76  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

arm :  one  could  walk  the  entire  distance  from  the  post-office 
to  the  Occidental  without  swallowing  more  than  his  jDCck  of 
dirt.  Such  indications  as  these  could  not  fail  to  produce  in- 
tense excitement.  About  an  hour  after  sunset  a  low  rumbling 
sound  was  heard,  coming  apjDarently  from  the  direction  of 
Monte  Diablo,  and  soon  there  was  a  heavy  shaking  of  the 
earth.  Some  of  the  curb-stone  brokers  who  were  enjoying 
themselves  at  a  restaurant  on  Montgomery  Street,  supposing 
the  end  of  the  world  had  come,  and  wishing  to  stave  it  off 
until  they  had  secured  the  jjayment  of  notes  due  the  next 
day,  rushed  into  the  street  and  gave  the  alarm.  The  fire- 
bells  instantly  sounded  the  preconcerted  signal,  and  the  citi- 
zens generally,  after  throwing  their  chinaware  out  of  the  win- 
dows to  save  as  much  as  possible  from  the  general  wreck,  at- 
tempted to  save  their  lives  by  making  for  public  squares, 
which  happily  abound  in  San  Francisco.  The  crowd  became 
so  great  at  the  intersection  of  Montgomery  andMarket  Streets 
— a  narrow  pass — that  they  trampled  one  upon  another  in 
wild  confusion,  and  a  fearful  loss  of  life  ensued.  Some  say  as 
many  as  three  hundred  persons — men,  Avomen,  and  children — 
perished ;  others  put  the  estimate  as  low  as  two  women  and 
one  boy. 

"  In  the  general  consternation  that  prevails,  it  is  impossible 
to  obtain  accurate  information  in  regard  to  the  destruction 
of  property,  but  it  is  reported  that  many  of  our  finest  build- 
ings are  demolished.  The  magnificent  and  costly  adobe  struct- 
ures that  once  adorned  our  city  are  nearly  all  prostrate.  A 
messenger  just  in  from  the  Mission  Dolores  states  that  great 
seams  have  opened  in  the  walls  of  that  venerable  pile.  The 
new  hotel,  on  Montgomery  and  Market  Streets,  appears  to 
have  suffered  most  severely ;  as  we  jjassed  it  a  few  moments 
since,  it  was  nearly  level  with  the  pavement.  Scarcely  a 
church  in  the  city  has  a  steeple  standing.  We  shall  collect 
farther  information  and  send  another  dispatch  in  an  hour  or 
two. 

"■Later:  11  o'clock  P.M.  The  first  reports  of  the  earth- 
quake were  greatly  exaggerated.  It  is  ascertained  that  the 
rumbling  noise  and  the  jar  were  produced  by  the  passage  of 
a  heavy  dray  with  a  ponderous  casting  from  the  Union  Iron 
Works  through  Mission  Street.  No  lives  were  lost.  The 
steeples  of  the  church  which  were  supposed  to  have  fallen 
had  never  been  erected.  The  new  hotel  had  been  built  only 
as  far  as  the  basement.  The  splendid  pile  of  the  Mission 
Dolores  still  stands  in  magnificent  proportions,  though  rather 
the  worse  for  years.     The  alarm  has  subsided. 


ON  THE  FACIFIC.  77 

"Pcwis,  Sept.  10, 1869.  I^or  some  days  past  the  French  cap- 
ital has  been  full  of  rumors  of  a  foul  conspiracy  against  the 
government  and  the  emperor.  Intense  excitement  was  pro- 
duced on  Monday  morning  by  the  following  placard,  which 
was  found  posted  in  various  parts  of  the  city,  and  some  dar- 
ing miscreant  had  fastened  one  to  the  entrance  gate  of  the 
Louvre. 

" '  What  is  the  difference  hetween  the  Emperor  Napoleon 
and  a  Neapolitan  beggar  f 

"  Every  morning  the  placards  were  found  replaced  by  mys- 
terious hands.  It  was  evident  that  an  attempt  upon  the  life 
of  the  emperor  Avas  intended,  or  a  conspiracy  to  reduce  him 
to  the  abject  condition  of  the  lazzaroni  of  Italy.  The  police 
set  themselves  at  work  to  ferret  out  the  conspiracy,  but  with- 
out success.  A  meeting  of  the  Supreme  Council  is  to  be  held 
this  morning  to  deliberate  upon  the  alarming  crisis. 

'"''Evening.  The  Council  assembled  at  9  o'clock  this  morn- 
ing. The  emperor  and  emj^ress  were  both  present,  bearing 
the  marks  of  having  spent  a  sleepless  night,  but  their  anxiety 
was  relieved  by  a  distinguished  member,  who  gave  the  fol- 
lowing solution  to  the  placard  : 

"  '  The  one  issues  manifestoes,  the  other  manifests  toes  with- 
out his  shoes.' 

"Paris  is  again  tranquil." 

The  following  was  among  the  literary  contributions : 

THE  KNOT  OF  BLUE  AND  GRAY. 
"  Upon  my  bosom  lies 

A  knot  of  blue  and  gray ; 
You  ask  me  why  ;  tears  till  my  eyes 
As  low  to  you  I  say 

"  I  had  two  brothers  once, 

Warm-hearted,  bold,  and  gay ; 
They  left  my  side — one  wore  the  blue, 
The  other  wore  the  gray. 

"One  rode  with  Stonewall  and  his  men. 
And  joined  his  fiite  to  Lee ; 
The  other  followed  Sherman's  march 
Triumphant  to  the  sea. 

"  Both  fought  for  what  they  deemed  the  right, 
And  died  with  sword  in  hand ; 
One  sleeps  amid  Virginia's  hills, 
And  one  in  Georgia's  sand. 

"The  same  sun  shines  upon  their  graves, 
JNIy  love  unchanged  must  stay ; 
And  so  upon  my  bosom  lies 
This  knot  of  blue  and  gray." 


78  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

One  of  our  entertainments  was  a  Chinese  concert.  There 
were  450  Chinamen  on  board,  returning  to  their  native  land, 
all  in  the  steerage.  Even  the  wealthy  Chinese  prefer  the 
steerage,  where  they  have  their  cooking  according  to  their 
national  taste.  On  beino;  told  that  there  were  some  ofood 
musicians  among  them,  a  gentleman  of  our  party,  with  the 
captain's  permission,  invited  them  aft  into  tlie  saloon  to 
give  us  a  musical  entertainment.  There  were  three  Chi- 
nese instruments — a  sort  of  banjo,  a  kind  of  violin,  and  one 
indescribable  ;  another  Chinaman  did  the  vocal  part,  chief- 
ly on  one  note,  and  this  through  his  nose.  They  were  in 
harmony,  and  kept  perfect  time,  the  movement  being  very 
rapid,  but  the  instruments  had  a  range  of  only  about  half 
an  octave,  and  after  two  or  three  tunes  it  became  exces- 
sively tedious,  and  at  length  unendurable.  We  were  to  have 
another  entertainment  the  same  evening,  but  they  held  on 
their  way  with  increasing  vigor  and  spirit,  until  we  all  be- 
gan to  be  filled  with  consternation  lest  they  should  never 
stop.  We  could  not  inform  them  that  enough  was  enough, 
and  one  piece  after  another  followed  without  any  interval. 
The  gentleman  who  had  got  up  the  entertainment  was  the 
picture  of  distress,  considering  himself  resj^onsible  for  the 
hopeless  condition  into  which  he  had  brought  us.  A  col- 
lection was  proposed  and  taken  up,  and  presented  to  them, 
with  the  idea  tliat  this  would  end  the  matter,  but  it  was  in- 
dignantly refused,  one  of  them  saying  in  broken  English 
they  had  ''plenty  money" — they  played  "for  fun,"  and 
would  play  "  plenty  more,"  and  at  it  they  went  again  with 
fresh  vigor.  He  produced  a  gold  watch  to  prove  to  us  that 
he  was  able  financially  to  hold  out  much  longer.  At  last 
an  interpreter  was  called  in,  a  truce  was  obtained,  and  the 
other  entertainment  followed. 

But  our  most  entertaining  diversion  on  the  long  voyage 
was  found  in  a  trial  which  grew  out  of  our  failure  to  speak 
the  returning  ship.  The  two  steamers  which  leave  the  op- 
posite shores  of  the  Pacific  are  in  the  habit  of  meeting 
somewhere  in  mid-ocean  to  exchange  mails.     The  science 


O.V  THE  PACIFIC.  79 

of  navigation  is  now  reduced  to  such  a  nicety  of  calcula- 
tion that  in  clear*  weather,  when  an  observation  can  be  ta- 
ken, a  skillful  seaman  can  tell  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
the  precise  point  on  the  globe  on  which  he  is  sailing,  and 
can  make  an  appointment  to  meet  another  vessel  on  any 
mile  of  the  sea  at  any  given  time,  and  keep  his  appointment 
with  unerring  certainty. 

On  leaving  San  Francisco  we  were  informed  that  we 
should  meet  the  homeward-bound  steamer  about  the  ninth 
day  out,  as  both  would  be  sailing  on  the  same  parallel  of 
latitude.  Accordingly,  we  had  a  large  number  of  letters 
Avritten  to  surprise  the  friends  at  home.  Thev  were  dulv 
mailed,  postage  paid,  but  the  returning  steamer  never  made 
her  appearance.  When  all  hope  of  seeing  her  had  gone 
by,  the  purser  of  the  ship,  who  was  mail-agent,  was  heard 
to  say  he  never  expected  we  should  meet  the  ship,  but  that 
it  was  all  the  same  to  him,  inasmuch  as  he  had  made  his 
percentage  on  the  sale  of  post-stamps,  M-hich  he  had  bouglit 
for  currency  and  sold  for  coin. 

Such  an  aggravated  case  of  swindling  coming  upon  the 
heels  of  our  disappointment  could  not  be  suffei'ed  to  pass 
without  official  investigation.  A  warrant  for  his  arrest  was 
issued  by  the^proper  authority,  and  he  was  brought  before 
the  judge  of  the  United  States  Court  of  the  ]\Iiddle  Dis- 
trict of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  in  charge  of  the  United  States 
Marshal.  He  gave  bail  for  liis  appearance  on  the  follow- 
ing day,  when  the  trial  commenced.  A  jury  was  impan- 
neled,  composed  of  equal  numbers  of  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
and  the  trial  proceeded  according  to  the  formalities  of  law, 
and  continued  through  two  days.  Able  counsel  appeared 
for  the  prosecution,  and  also  for  the  prisoner.  A  number 
of  witnesses  were  examined  and  cross-examined,  and,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  precedents  established  by  courts  on  land, 
a  vast  amount  of  interesting  information  was  elicited  hav- 
ing no  reference  to  the  case  before  the  court. 

At  the  opening  of  the  court  on  the  second  day  the  dis- 
trict attorney  rose,  and  with  great  solemnity  objected  to  the 


80  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

farther  trial  of  the  case  on  the  ground  that  one  of  the  ju- 
rors had  been  heard  to  express  an  opinion  favorable  to  the 
prisoner.  The  court  inquired  whether  the  juror  objected 
to  was  a  lady  or  a  gentleman,  and  on  being  informed  that 
it  was  a  lady,  decided  that  in  such  case  it  was  no  disquali- 
fication, inasmuch  as  from  time  immemorial  ladies  had  en- 
joyed the  privilege  of  expressing  their  minds  as  freely  as 
they  chose.  When  the  testimony  was  all  in,  the  case  was 
argued  with  great  ability,  and,  after  a  charge  from  the 
court,  was  submitted  to  the  jury,  who  brought  in  a  verdict 
of  ''  Not  guilty,  but  recommended  to  mercy." 

This  trial  was  the  most  entertaining  incident  of  the  voy- 
ao:e,  and  to  record  all  the  amusing  and  wittv  thin2::s  that 
were  said  and  done,  and  which  often  baffled  all  the  efforts 
of  the  judge  and  marshal  to  preserve  order  in  the  court, 
would  require  a  volume  in  law  sheep.  But  it  was  worthy 
of  being  reported  and  preserved  among  the  causes  celebres. 

On  the  voyage  we  passed  through  one  experience  which 
was  novel  to  most  of  us,  and  which  occurs  only  on  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean.  It  was  the  dropping  a  day  out  of  tlie  calen- 
dar. We  retired  to  our  state-rooms  and  fell  asleep  on  Fri- 
day night,  the  17th  of  September,  leaving  every  thing  cor- 
rect according  to  the  almanac.  When  we  awoke  the  next 
morning  we  found  that  it  was  Sunday,  the  19th,  and  we 
had  not  overslept  ourselves.  I  went  to  the  room  of  the  first 
officer,  whose  duty  it  is  to  keep  the  log  of  the  ship,  in  which 
every  thing  important  is  entered,  and  found  he  had  made 
the  following  record : 

'•'■Sunday.,  I9th  day  of  September.  Note.  Having  crossed 
the  prime  meridian,  180°, bound  westward,  Satui'day,  the  18th, 
is  discarded,  being  called  by  name  and  date  next  following, 
as  above." 

We  were  not  without  warning  on  the  subject — indeed,  it 
had  been  a  matter  of  speculation  for  several  days,  as  we 
were  approaching  the  ISOth  degree  of  longitude  west  and 
east  of  Greenwich,  and  all  the  more  interest  attached  to  it 
from  the  uncertainty  as  to  what  day  we  should  cross  that 


ON  THE  PACIFIC.  §1 

meridian.  Had  it  been  one  day  later,  a  Snnday  would  have 
been  blotted  out,  and  we  should  have  gone  to  bed  on  Satur- 
day and  got  up  on  Monday.  As  it  w-as,  we  were  called  to 
adjust  our  feelings  to  what  seemed  an  arbitrary  change  of 
the  holy  Sabbath  from  its  proper  place  to  one  day  earlier  in 
the  calendar.  We  did  so,  and  kept  the  day  as  the  Sabbath 
with  clear  consciences.  Occasionally,  during  the  morning, 
the  tliought  would  come  into  our  minds  that  those  whom 
we  had  left  behind  us  were  in  the  midst  of  Saturday,  and 
that  during  our  sleep  we  had  made  an  extraordinary  leap 
to  get  into  Sunday,  but,  so  far  as  my  own  feelings  were  con- 
cerned, the  Sabbath  w^as  as  holy  as  any  that  I  have  spent  on 
sea  or  land. 

Every  one  knows  that  in  traveling  around  the  world 
from  east  to  west  a  day  is  lost,  for  the  same  reason  that  if 
one  could  go  round  the  world  in  t"^venty-four  hours  in  the 
same  direction,  he  w^ould  retain  the  same  relative  position 
to  the  sun,  he  would  travel  with  the  sun,  and  there  -would 
be  no  succession  of  day  and  night.  So,  in  traveling  more 
leisurely  westward,  a  certain  amount  of  time  is  added  to 
each  day,  wdiich,  in  making  the  circuit  of  the  earth,  would 
amount  to  an  entire  day.  In  order,  therefore,  to  adjust  his 
reckoning  to  the  calendar  of  the  place  which  he  left,  he 
must,  at  some  point  in  the  journey,  pass  over  one  day  of 
that  calendar  as  if  he  had  not  lived  it,  while,  in  reality,  he 
has  lived  the  whole  time  by  lengthening  every  day  in  his 
journey.  Where  shall  he  make  this  change  in  his  reckon- 
ing? where  shall  he  drop  the  day?  Navigators  have  an- 
swered this  question  by  making  the  change  on  the  180th 
degree  of  longitude  w^est  or  east  of  Greenwich  (or  London, 
which  is  practically  the  same  thing).  When  they  reach 
this  meridian  sailing  westward,  they  drop  a  day ;  when 
they  reach  it  sailing  eastward,  they  repeat  a  day.  If  it 
comes  on  Saturday,  eastward  bound,  they  have  two  Satur- 
days in  succession ;  if  on  Sunday,  two  Sundays ;  and  so  of 
any  other  day. 

This  matter  of  dropping  a  day  derives  its  chief  interest 

F 


82  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

from  its  relation  to  the  Christian  Sabbath,  and  in  this  re- 
spect it  lias  an  importance  which  I  have  not  seen  attributed 
to  it.  It  actually  solves  some  questions  which  have  been 
the  theme  of  distracting  controversy. 

The  shape  of  our  world,  and  its  revolution  on  its  axis, 
make  it  an  absolute  impossibility  that  its  inhabitants  should 
all  commence  keeping  the  Sabbath  at  the  same  time.  As 
the  sun  rises  earlier  upon  one  land  than  another,  so  must 
the  inhabitants  of  those  lands  enter  upon  sacred  time  at 
different  periods.  There  is  no  more  actual  correspondence 
between  New  York  and  London  in  regard  to  the  Sabbath 
than  there  is  between  San  Francisco  and  Japan,  although 
in  traveling  between  the  two  former  places  no  change  of 
reckonino;  is  made,  while  the  chano;e  of  a  dav'  is  made  in 
passing  to  and  fro  between  the  two  latter.  There  is  a  dif- 
ference of  one  hour  for  every  fifteen  degrees  of  longitude 
in  the  commencement  and  close  of  each  day,  so  that  in  re- 
ality the  whole  world  are  keeping  different  periods  for  the 
Sabbath,  according  to  their  localities.  This  divests  the 
question  as  to  the  precise  time  that  we  shall  observe  as  the 
Sabbath  of  its  moral  character,  provided  we  are  keeping  as 
near  as  possible  to  an  observance  of  the  command  to  keep 
holy  every  seventh  day.  It  becomes,  in  some  circumstan- 
ces, a  question  of  longitude  rather  than  of  morals.  If  I 
leave  San  Francisco  (as  I  did)  on  Saturday,  the  4:tli  of  Sep- 
tember, and  should  reach  Yokohama  on  the  morning  of  the 
21st — which  would  be  Saturday  according  to  my  reckoning 
— I  should  find  Christian  people  keeping  the  Sabbath  day ; 
it  would  be  Sunday,  although  there  are  only  ninety-five  de- 
grees of  longitude,  or  six  and  one  third  hours  of  time,  be- 
tween the  two  places.  Am  I  bound  in  conscience  to  con- 
tinue to  keep  my  day  as  the  Sabbath,  and  thus  be  at  vari- 
ance with  all  the  Christian  people  whom  I  may  meet  ?  If 
so,  I  must  continue  to  do  it  the  rest  of  my  journey  in  Asia 
and  Europe,  and  when  I  reach  America,  and  during  the 
whole  of  my  futui-e  life,  unless  I  should  chance  to  make  a 
journey  round  the  world  the  other  way,  from  west  to  east, 


ox  THE  PACIFIC.  83 

wliicli  would  briug  me  right  again.  It  is  evident  that  per- 
fect uniformity  in  this  respect  is  impracticable,  and  that 
the  common  consent  of  Christians  around  me  becomes  a 
duty,  as  long  as  it  is  impossible  to  keep  the  same  hours 
M'liich  I  have  observed  at  home.  If  I  were  to  attempt  to 
do  the  latter,  I  must  needs  commence  my  Sabbath  at  ten 
o'clock  A.M.  on  reaching  Yokohama,  going  west,  and  at 
twelve  o'clock  at  noon  on  reaching  Singapore, 

There  is  no  other  point  or  line  on  the  world's  surface  so 
favorable  for  making  the  change  in  reckoning,  for  dropping 
or  adding  a  day,  as  that  which  has  been  taken  by  English 
and  American  navigators,  the  ISOtli  degree  of  longitude,  at 
which  the  reckoning  from  east  to  west  longitude,  or  the  re- 
verse, commences.  This  line  falls  in  the  middle  of  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean,  where  there  are  no  inhabitants  to  be  affected 
by  the  change  excepting  on  the  scattered  islands  of  the  sea, 
and,  in  saihng  east  or  west,  there  is  a  vast  expanse  of  water 
to  cross  before  coming  to  Christian  settlements.  I  felt  no 
scruple,  therefore,  in  conforming  to  a  conventional  rule, 
though  it  has  not  the  force  of  a  moral  law,  in  dropping  one 
day  out  of  my  diary,  or  in  stepping  at  once  out  of  Friday 
night  into  Sunday  morning,  because  I  must  at  some  point 
in  my  journey  round  the  world  make  my  calendar  agree 
with  the  world  in  which  I  expect  to  live,  and  this  is  alto- 
gether the  most  suitable  point  at  which  to  do  it. 

I  have  alluded  to  the  bearings  of  this  subject  on  some  of 
the  controversies  which  divide  the  Christian  Church.  There 
is  in  the  LTnited  States  a  sect  of  Christians  called  the  Sev- 
enth-day Baptists,  numbering  several  thousands,  whose 
name  indicates  that  they  are  cut  off,  or  have  cut  themselves 
off  from  their  brethren  by  their  conscientious  convictions 
that  the  seventh  day  of  the  week,  or  our  Saturday,  ought 
to  be  observed  as  the  Christian' Sabbath.  Now,  if  one  of 
the  members  of  that  Church  would  accompany  me  around 
the  world,  having  passed  the  prime  meridian  we  should  be 
in  harmony  on  this  point — we  should  both  be  keeping  the 
same  day  as  the  Sabbath,  for  he,  of  course,  would  be  con- 


84  AROUSD  THE  WORLD. 

scientiously  opposed  to  making  any  change.  lie  would  be 
in  harmony  witli  tlie  mass  of  Christians  as  we  pass  along 
westward,  but  when  we  reach  the  United  States  he  would 
be  one  day  in  advance  of  the  Church  to  which  he  belongs. 
He  would  then  be  a  regular  first-day  Baptist.  So  of  the 
Jews,  who  strictly  observe  the  seventh  day  as  the  Sabbath. 
A  voyage  around  the  world  would  convert  them,  whether 
they  were  willing  or  not.  Might  it  not  be  a  legitimate 
course  for  seventh-day-Sabbath  Christians  and  for  Jews  to 
appoint  a  delegation  to  go  around  the  world  from  east  to 
west,  agreeing  to  abide  by  their  experience  when  they 
should  return  and  make  their  report,  just  as  we  adopt  the 
reports  of  committees  on  other  matters  when  we  are  satis- 
fied as  to  their  correctness  ?  This  would  bring  the  whole 
Christian  and  the  Jewish  world  into  the  harmonious  ob- 
servance of  one  day  as  the  Sabbath,  and  it  would  involve 
no  more  sacrifice  of  principle  on  the  part  of  any  members 
of  these  denominations  than  it  would  for  any  one  of  them 
to  make  the  change  in  his  reckoning  in  going  around  the 
world,  which  every  one  would  probably  do  who  should  ac- 
complish the  circuit  of  the  earth. 

There  are  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  two  groups  of  islands  not 
far  from  each  other,  on  nearly  the  same  degree  of  longi- 
tude, although  both  of  them  east  of  the  prime  meridian, 
the  inhabitants  of  which  observe  different  days  as  the  Sab- 
bath. These  are  the  Sandwich  and  the  Society  Islands. 
The  reason  of  this  diversity  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that 
the  missionaries  who  carried  the  institutions  of  the  Bible 
with  them  sailed  from  different  lands  and  in  different  di- 
rections, meeting,  as  it  were,  midway  in  the  journey  around 
the  world.  The  missionaries  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  sail- 
ed fi'om  the  United  States,  going  westward  by  Cape  Horn. 
The  missionaries  to  the  Society  Islands  sailed  from  En- 
gland, going  eastward  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  but, 
as  they  crossed  the  ISOth  degree  of  east  longitude,  they 
should  have  made  a  change  in  the  day,  which  would  have 
brought  them  into  accord  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  Sand- 
wich Islands. 


EXCUBSIOXS  IX  JAPAX.  §5 

If  there  is  any  answer  to  the  old  problem,  AVhere  does 
the  day  begin,  it  is  this  :  At  the  ISOth  degree  of  longitude, 
east  or  west.  This  is  the  only  line  on  which  there  is  an  ar- 
bitrary change  or  conniiencement  of  a  day,  but,  as  a  practi- 
cal thing,  the  day  begins  all  around  the  woi'ld,  not  at  the 
same  moment  of  time,  but  just  as  the  sun  visits  different 
parts  of  the  earth  at  successive  periods  in  the  twenty -four 
hours.  The  time  will  never  come  when  the  day  will  Ijegin 
all  over  the  world  at  the  same  moment,  or  when  the  whole 
world  will  be  keeping  the  same  hom-s  as  the  holy  Sabbath, 
until  the  earth  is  flattened  out  and  becomes  a  plane  instead 
of  a  globe.  With  the  present  shape  of  our  world  it  would 
be  as  much  an  impossibility  as  for  the  sun  to  rise  npon  ev- 
ery part  of  the  globe  at  the  same  instant  of  time. 


EXCURSIONS  IX  JAPAN. 


Sunday,  the  26th  of  September  (according  to  our  reck- 
oning, after  dropping  a  day  into  the  ocean),  was  the  twen- 
ty-first day  out  from  San  Francisco.  Toward  evening  I 
was  on  deck  with  Captain  Freeman,  when  he  remarked 
that  about  two  o'clock  the  next  morning  we  should  have  a 
sight  of  a  point  of  one  of  the  Japanese  islands ;  a  pretty 
close  calculation,  I  thought,  even  for  an  old  sailor,  after  be- 
ing three  weeks  without  a  glimpse  of  any  thing  earthly. 
Accordingly,  I  was  on  the  lookout  soon  after  midnight,  and 
sure  enough,  within  an  hour  of  the  time  indicated,  the  dim 
outline  of  the  shore  became  visible. 

I  have  been  at  sea  when  the  sight  of  land  was  far  more 
welcome,  for  this  voyage  was  upon  a  summer  sea,  and  un- 
der sunny  skies  nearly  all  the  way,  and  the  time  had  pass- 
ed pleasantly  on  shipboard ;  but  it  was  a  joy  again  to  see 
the  solid  earth,  and  the  green  shores  of  Japan  are  among 
the  most  beautiful  of  any  that  skirt  the  seas.     When  the 


86 


ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 


morning  dawned,  and  we  drew  near  the  shores,  covered 
profusely  with  verdure  and  foHage,  the  hills  and  the  val- 
leys had  all  the  brilliancy  of  color  of  the  Irish  coast,  with 
an  endless  variety  of  contonr,  and  an  originality  of  surface 
that  made  the  whole  scene  one  of  great  beauty  without  the 
element  of  grandeur.  The  sacred  raonntain  of  fire,  Fusi- 
yama,  the  glory  of  Japan,  w^hich  the  Japanese,  as  by  a  sense 
of  religious  duty,  put  into  every  picture  and  on  every  article 
that  they  manufacture,  rose  up  about  sixty  miles  distant. 
The  volcano,  though  not  active,  forms  a  lively  feature  in 
the  landscape.  In  clear  weather  it  may  be  seen  more  than 
a  hundred  miles  out  at  sea. 


ENTEANOE  TO  THE  GULF  OF  YEDPO. 


As  we  steamed  np  the  Gulf  of  Yeddo,  the  scene  becamp 
more  and  more  animated  and  Japanese  in  its  aspect.  Great 
numbers  of  fishing-boats,  with  their  square  sails  rudely 
hung  against  the  masts,  %vere  putting  out  from  the  shore 
on  their  daily  errand,  and  shoals  of  smaller  boats,  sculled 
by  native  Japanese,  were  plying  around.  Occasionally  a 
palm-tree  would  show  itself  on  the  shore,  but  the  pine  and 
the  fir,  and  other  evergreens  for  which  Japan  is  celebrated, 
abounded  all  alonsf  the  shore.  Now  and  then  a  bamboo 
grove,  with  its  light  bluish-green  and  feathery  foliage,  not 


EXCURSIONS  ly  japan:  g^ 

only  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  but  really  the  most  useful 
Teo;etable  growth  in  the  world,  would  diversify  the  velvety 
landscape.  The  narrow  valleys  running  back  from  the  wa- 
ter were  green  with  rice-fields,  and  the  terraced  hills  with 
different  crops. 

In  the  Gulf  of  Yeddo  we  met  a  steamer  bearing  the  fa- 
miliar flas:,  outward  bound.  We  afterward  learned  that 
she  was  going  out  to  the  relief  of  the  United  States  ship  of 
war  Idaho,  which  had  sailed  the  week  before  for  home,  vid 
Cape  Horn,  in  perfect  trim.  She  had  only  fairly  got  to 
sea  when  she  was  overtaken  by  a  typhoon  and  reduced  to 
a  mere  w-reck.  One  of  the  officers  whom  I  met  at  Yoko- 
hama told  me  that  for  an  hour  and  a  half  the  ship  lay  in 
the  centre  of  this  circular  gale  in  a  dead  calm,  waiting  for 
the  circumference  to  strike  them.  Wlien  the  shock  came 
she  was  dismasted  and  so  shaken  as  to  be  utterly  unsea- 
wortliy,  and  I  learned  afterward  that  she  was  sold  for  an 
old  hulk.  So  accurately  had  we  timed  it  in  reaching  the 
coast  of  Japan  the  week  after  the  equinox. 

We  were  soon  entering  the  harbor  of  Yokohama,  the 
principal  port  of  Japan,  in  which  vessels  of  all  nations, 
men-of-war  and  merchantmen,  were  lying  at  anchor,  and 
giving  the  bay  a  familiar  look.  The  Stars  and  Stripes 
were  displayed  from  a  number  of  ships.  The  firing  of  om- 
gun  and  the  dropping  of  the  anchor  brought  around  us  a 
swarm  of  native  boats,  all  propelled  with  sculls  by  Japan- 
ese men  and  women  almost  as  innocent  of  clothing  as  when 
they  were  born.  Some  of  them  brought  residents  on  board 
to  look  after  friends,  and  others  came  to  take  ashore  the 
passengers,  most  of  whom  were  to  land  at  Yokohama,  to 
remain,  or  be  transferred,  like  ourselves,  to  the  steamer  for 
Shanghae. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning  our  luggage  was  piled  into 
one  of  the  boats,  and  ourselves  into  another  propelled  by 
five  lusty  natives,  who  at  every  stroke  of  their  sculls  sent 
forth  a  groan  or  wail  which  would  now  and  then  break 
into  a  scream  more  novel  than  pleasing.     We  landed  in 


8S  AROUND  TEE  WORLD. 

the  luidst  of  a  crowd  of  coolies  absolutely  naked,  with  the 
exception  of  two  or  three  inches  of  cotton  cloth  about  their 
loins,  and  then  came  the  strife  for  the  bao-o-ao-e.  But  it  was 
a  far  better-mannered  crowd  than  one  will  find  in  any  civ- 
ilized country  in  which  I  ever  landed.  After  the  formali- 
ty of  opening  one  of  our  numerous  trunks  by  a  Japanese 
custom-house  official,  who  politely  bowed  that  it  was  all 
right  and  did  not  wait  for  any  fee,  the  crowd  of  naked  coo- 
lies divided  off  into  separate  squads.  All  remained  quiet 
while  two  or  three  of  their  number  were  making  some  ar- 
rangement in  regard  to  our  luggage,  I  could  not  tell  what. 
I  soon  found  that  they  were  preparing  to  draw  lots  to  see 
which  squad  should  have  the  porterage.  The  lots  were 
little  ropes  of  straw,  curiously  intertwined,  and  bound  to- 
gether by  a  band  of  straw.  The  band  was  severed,  and 
with  a  shout  the  cooHes  all  lifted  their  hands.  Four  of  the 
strands  were  found  to  be  tied  by  another  band,  indicating 
the  four .  fortunate  coolies,  the  rest  submitting  without  a 
sign  of  dissatisfaction.  I  could  not  avoid  the  inward  ex- 
clamation, "  Oh  that  coolies,  and  carmen,  and  hackmen 
in  some  other  lands  that  I  have  seen  would  cast  lots  for 
their  passengers  instead  of  tearing  them  to  pieces !"  The 
whole  carrying  business  of  Yokohama  is  done  by  these 
coolies,  four  of  them — two  in  front  and  two  behind  the 
cart — sometimes  taking  a  ton  and  a  half  at  a  load.  In 
drawing  and  pushing  their  rude  carts  they  seem  to  be  great- 
ly assisted  by  a  monotonous  groan  or  shout  emitted  at  ev- 
ery step,  more  piercing  than  that  of  the  boatmen. 

That  part  of  Yokohama  which  we  enter  on  landing  is 
not  a  Japanese  town,  but  built  and  occupied  by  foreigners, 
and  has  none  of  the  characteristics  of  a  native  city.  There 
is  no  M'harf,  a  wide  bund  or  street  extending  nearly  a  mile 
along  the  water,  on  the  shore-side  of  which  the  foreign 
merchants  have  their  bungalows  and  offices.  Some  of  these 
are  surrounded  with  walls,  the  yards  being  ornamented  with 
Oriental  shrubbery  and  plants,  including  the  beautiful  ev- 
ergreens.    Many  of  the  foreign  merchants  reside  on  the 


IJXCUSSIOXS  IX  JAPAX.  39 

high  bhiff  overlooking  the  town  and  the  bay,  wliich  affords 
a  line  view  of  the  country  as  it  stretches  out  toward  Fusi- 
yania.  Kanagawa,  about  three  miles  across  a  small  bay, 
was  first  selected  as  the  foreign  port  for  Yeddo,  but  Yoko- 
hama was  substituted,  and  it  has  now  a  foreign  population 
of  about  2000.  It  has  become  the  principal  foreign  port 
of  the  empire,  and  is  a  place  of  much  activity  in  business, 
especially  on  the  arrival  or  departure  of  a  steamer.  These 
events  infuse  new  energy  into  the  whole  population,  from 
the  merchants,  who  just  then  are  overwhelmed  with  their 
correspondence,  down  to  the  coolies  and  boatmen,  to  whom 
steamer-davs  are  harvests.  Durino;  the  intervals  all  classes 
take  things  more  quietly. 

Yokohama  is  likewise  the  residence  of  the  foreicrn  min- 
isters.  For  a  time  they  were  located  at  Yeddo,  but  the  hos- 
tility of  the  Yakonins  made  it  unsafe.  The  British  em- 
bassy was  attacked,  the  inmates  put  to  the  sword,  and  the 
residence  burned.  After  passing  through  many  perils  the 
foreign  representatives  concluded  to  try  a  location  that  was 
more  salubrious. 

We  remained  at  Yokohama  over  one  steamer  in  order 
to  visit  Yeddo  and  to  make  some  excursions  into  the  coun- 
try. One  of  the  most  interesting  of  these  was  to  the  statue 
of  Daiboots,  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  distant,  and  near  the 
ancient  capital  of  the  Tycoons,  the  extinct  city  of  Kama- 
kura.  The  whole  region  of  country  is  strikingly  beautiful, 
and  indeed  the  whole  island,  and,  so  far  as  I  have  seen  it, 
the  whole  empire  of  Japan.  The  common  roads  or  paths, 
with  a  single  exception,  are  not  wide  enough  to  allow  the 
passage  of  wheels,  and  ordinarily  one  must  choose  betM-een 
riding  Japanese  ponies  (the  most  vicious  domestic  brutes 
that  I  have  met),  being  carried  by  coolies  in  a  sedan  chair, 
or  going  on  foot.  "We  made  a  sort  of  compromise,  send- 
ing our  horses  forward  twelve  miles  to  meet  us  on  the 
way,  while  we  made  the  first  part  of  the  excursion  by  wa- 
ter. 

We  left  Yokohama  in  the  morning  in  a  covered  sail-boat 


90  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

manned  by  six  Japanese  sailors,  who,  in  tlieir  rude  wa}-,  are 
expert  seamen,  and  sailed  through  a  part  of  the  Gulf  of 
Yeddo  that  was  thoroughly  explored  by  the  Perry  Expedi- 
tion. It  was  so  nnfortunate  as  to  receive  a  quantity  of 
Yankee  names  in  place  of  those,  far  more  appropriate  and 
musical,  that  they  had  worn  for  centuries.  AVe  passed  in 
sight  of  Perry  and  Welster  Islands,  through  Mississ'qypi 
Bay,  and  moored  our  bark  in  Goldshoroiigh  Inlet.  I  have 
not  the  Japanese  originals  at  command,  but,  from  the  gen- 
eral beauty  of  the  names  with  which  I  am  familiar,  I  am 
sure  that  all  these  places  "  would  smell  as  sweet"  if  they 
had  been  left  to  wear  those  they  had  worn  from  time  im- 
memorial. The  Japanese  names  of  towns,  and  rivers,  and 
seas  are  singularly  beautiful.  The  language  itself,  as  spok- 
en by  the  people,  is  musical,  a  decided  contrast  to  the  Chi- 
nese.    It  is  not  unlike  the  Italian  in  this  respect. 

Kanagawa  is  the  residence  of  one  of  the  Daimios,  a  place 
of  some  importance,  and  a  charming  spot.  We  landed  at 
a  romantic  tea-house,  a  great  resort  for  excursionists,  and 
the  arrival  of  om*  party  with  an  order  for  tiffin  produced 
no  little  stir  among  the  occupants.  One  was  off  with  a  net 
to  the  tank  near  by :  in  a  few  moments  some  of  the  excel- 
lent  fish  with  which  the  waters  of  Japan  abound  were  on 
the  coals,  and  it  was  but  a  short  time  until  they  were  before 
us.  Another  was  busied  in  preparing  the  universal  bever- 
age, which  in  Japan,  as  in  China,  is  a  simple  infusion  of  tea, 
without  milk  or  sugar,  and  almost  without  taste.  But  our 
own  capacious  lunch-basket  supplied  all  deficiencies.  The 
whole  thing  was  made  ready  with  wonderful  celerity,  and 
we  were  served  with  an  ease  and  an  air  of  politeness  that 
I  have  not  seen  excelled  in  New  York  or  Paris.  While 
our  horses  were  made  ready  1  walked  to  an  old  Shintoo 
temple  near  the  tea-house,  and  then  to  one  of  the  beautiful 
groves  of  bamboo  which  abound  in  the  islands ;  the  reeds, 
which  were  only  three  or  four  inches  in  diameter,  shooting 
up  to  the  height  of  sixty  or  seventy  feet,  and  the  graceful 
branches  spreading  out  at  the  top  like  plumes,  forming  a 


JAPANESE  TEMPLE. 


92  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

perfect  canopy.  There  is  no  vegetable  production  in  the 
East — none  in  all  the  world  that  is  applied  to  more  uses 
than  the  bamboo,  which  is  a  species  of  grass.  Not  even 
the  palm,  in  all  its  varieties,  is  more  useful.  The  roots  are 
made  into  preserves,  and  the  young  shoots  are  eaten.  The 
Japanese  often  build  their  houses  entirely  of  bamboo — - 
beams,  posts,  rafters,  siding,  and  thatch  ;  'while  the  scaffold- 
ing, ropes,  and  ladders  which  they  employ  in  building  are 
made  of  the  same.  Nearly  every  article  of  furniture  in 
the  house  is  bamboo — chairs  (so  far  as  they  have  any),  bed- 
steads and  beds,  stools,  tables,  and  stands.  Their  most  com- 
mon utensils  are  made  exclusively  or  in  part  of  bamboo — 
tools,  brooms,  buckets  and  dippers,  measures,  and  boxes  of 
all  kinds ;  the  chop-sticks  with  which  they  eat,  baskets,  and 
trays.  Ornaments  of  all  kinds,  musical  instruments,  um- 
brellas, cloth,  paper,  books,  and  pens,  come  from  the  same 
source.  Boats  are  built  and  rigged  throuo-hout  of  bamboo. 
Scarcely  any  thing,  indeed,  in  the  whole  economy  of  Japa- 
nese life  can  be  named  that  is  not  made  in  whole  or  in  part 
from  this  invaluable  production  of  nature.  In  China,  too, 
it  is  an  important  element  in  government,  occupying  a 
more  indispensable  place  than  birch  in  America.  It  is  said 
that  China  could  not  be  governed  without  the  bamboo.  A 
catalogue  of  its  various  uses  would  fill  many  pages. 

Every  thing  being  in  readiness  for  our  ride,  I  selected  a 
sober-looking  animal  from  among  the  ponies  that  were 
brought  up,  but  I  was  no  sooner  in  the  saddle  than  he 
plunged  his  heels  into  the  side  of  one  of  his  neighbors,  just 
missing  the  leg  of  the  rider.  His  next  move  was  to  rear 
and  strike  the  shoulders  of  the  same  horse  with  his  foie 
feet,  as  if  challenging  him  to  single  combat.  Often  during 
the  ride  of  twelve  miles,  when  he  found  another  horse  gain- 
ing upon  him,  he  would  suddenly  stop  and  let  fly  his  heels, 
regardless  of  where  they  hit.  I  kept  ni}-  seat  with  difiicul- 
ty ;  but  afterward,  while  riding  another  of  the  same  delight- 
ful animals,  I  was  thro'^ii  completely  over  his  head,  strik- 
ing upon  my  shoulder,  and  escaping  without  any  material 


94  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

injury  other  than  l)ruises.  Some  fared  worse.  One  gen- 
tleman whom  we  met  on  the  way  was  thrown  from  his 
horse  three  times,  after  which  he  conchided  to  make  use  of 
his  own  legs.  These  were  a  fair  specimen  of  the  Japanese 
horses — a  wild,  unmanageable  race  of  animals. 

The  route  from  Kanagawa  to  Daiboots  lay  through  a 
succession  of  narrow,  beautiful  valleys,  every  inch  of  which 
seemed  to  be  under  cultivation,  one  tier  of  rice-fields  rising 
above  another  by  a  very  slight  gradation.  We  crossed  a 
range  of  hills  and  struck  into  a  ravine,  through  w^hich  ran 
a  rapid  stream,  breaking  frequently  into  beautiful  cascades. 
The  stream  was  skirted  on  either  side  with  large  camellia- 
trees,  a  variety  of  evergreens,  and  the  ever-beautiful  bam- 
boo. Passing  through  several  small  villages,  we  were  con- 
stantly greeted  with  the  cry  from  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, "  0-lia-yo" — equivalent  to  our  "  Good-morning,"  or 
"  How  are  you  ?"  which  it  resembles  in  sound.  Hostility 
to  foreigners  is  confined  almost  exclusively  to  the  cities, 
and  even  there  to  the  Yakonins.  At  the  end  of  a  two- 
hours'  ride  we  w^ere  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  capital,  Kam- 
akura. 

All  that  remains  of  a  city,  which  must  have  been  one  of 
great  magnificence,  is  a  cluster  of  large  temples,  in  which 
are  preserved  numerous  relics  of  the  Tycoons  of  other  ages. 
A  grand  avenue,  nearly  two  hundred  feet  wide,  leads  down 
to  the  sea,  two  miles  distant.  The  site  of  the  city,  which 
was  destroyed  in  a  war  long,  long  ago,  is  now  a  fertile  field. 
Two  miles  farther  on  is  the  statue  of  Buddha,  known  as 
the  statue  of  Daiboots.  It  is  a  lonely  relic  of  a  past  age, 
having  been  erected,  according  to  the  best  accounts,  about 
600  years  ago.  It  is  colossal  in  size,  of  the  finest  bronze, 
and  executed  with  wonderful  skill,  the  joints  between  the 
several  plates  being  so  completely  formed  as  scarcely  to 
show  a  seam.  The  countenance  is  strikingly  expressive  of 
profound  contemplation,  completely  fulfilling  the  tradi- 
tional ideas  of  Buddha.  The  height  of  the  statue,  M-hich 
is  in  a  sitting  posture,  is  about  forty  feet.     Considering  the 


BTATDE   AT   DAIBOOTS. 


90  ABOUND  THE  WOULD. 

remote  age  in  wliicli  it  was  produced,  and  tlie  simplicity 
of  the  people  at  that  j)eriod,  it  is  a  remarkable  woi-k  of  art. 
The  lofty  temple,  which  mnst  have  inclosed,  or  at  least  co\- 
ered  it,  has  long  since  disappeared,  and  for  centuries,  in  a 
lonely  nook  among  tlie  hills,  this  statue  has  sat  in  silent 
meditation,  exposed  to  the  storms  which  come  in  from  the 
neighboring  sea,  but  as  fresh  and  uninjured  as  when  it  was 
erected.  There  is  no  greater  curiosity  in  Japan  than  this 
statue,  of  which  there  is  no  authentic  record,  excepting  that 
it  has  stood  in  the  wilderness  for  centui'ies,  having  once 
been  surrounded  by  the  teeming  population  of  a  splendid 
capital. 

The  day  being  far  spent,  we  were  not  able  to  reach  the 
island  of  Inosima,  which,  with  the  intervening  country,  was 
described  to  us  as  more  beautiful  than  any  thing  we  had 
seen.  As  it  was,  the  darkness  had  gathered  round  us  be- 
fore we  reached  Ivanagawa  and  regained  our  boat,  and 
neither  wind  nor  tide  favoring  us,  it  was  near  midnight 
when  we  landed  at  Yokohama.  But  the  night  was  mild 
and  beautiful,  and  the  brilliant  stars  shone  down  upon  us 
as  we  lay  upon  the  deck  c[uietly  enjoying  the  sail.  The 
sea  itself  was  like  a  sea  of  lire,  the  phosphorescence  light- 
ing up  the  scene  as  by  submarine  lights. 

There  are  many  other  excursions  to  be  made  from  Yoko- 
hama, the  country  in  all  directions  being  romantic  and  in- 
viting. There  is  much  sameness,  but  it  is  the  sameness  of 
beauty,  which  does  not  weary.  The  valleys  are  a  striking- 
feature  in  Japanese  scenery,  never  stretching  out  into  wide 
plains,  but  exquisite  gems  exquisitely  set  in  the  cultivated, 
terraced  hills  which  inclose  them.  They  wind  like  streams 
among  the  hills,  constantly  opening  up  some  new  scene  of 
beauty  at  every  vista. 

A  visit  to  Yeddo,  which  the  geographers  in  our  youthful 
days  assured  us  Avas  the  most  populous  citj^  on  the  globe. 
Avas  one  of  the  chief  attractions  of  a  journey  to  Japan,  but 
on  landing  in  tlie  country  it  became  a  matter  of  doubt 
whether  we  should  see  this  great  and  mysterious  city  at 


EXCURSl  OXS  IN  JAFAK  9  7 

all.  The  hostility  of  the  Yakonins,  the  two-sworded  men 
of  the  erapii-e,  always  most  marked  at  the  capital,  had 
become  more  pronounced  than  usual.  Only  the  week  pre- 
vious, Sir  Harry  Parkes,  the  English  minister,  was  attack- 
ed in  the  usual  style,  while  riding  in  the  streets  of  Yeddo, 
attended  by  his  own  servants  and  the  Japanese  guard.  He 
escaped  without  personal  injury,  but  the  horse  of  one  of 
his  attendants  received  a  sabre  blow  which  was  aimed  at 
the  rider. 

The  traditional  aversion  of  the  Japanese  to  all  inter- 
course with  the  outer  world  is  by  no  means  so  strong  as  that 
of  the  Chinese,  nor  so  general,  but  even  in  Japan  there  are 
certain  classes  whose  interest  it  is  to  keep  alive  this  exclu- 
siveness  and  hatred  to  foreigners.  The  government,  fi*om 
time  immemorial,  has  used  every  art  to  keep  out  foreign 
ideas  and  foreign  influence,  and  within  the  last  few  yeai*s 
has  resorted  to  all  the  devices  of  Oriental  diplomacy,  of 
which  duplicity  is  the  chief,  to  delay  the  inevitable  result ; 
and  if  it  has  not  instigated  the  violence  which  has  been 
fatal  to  many  foreigners,  those  who  are  in  the  interest  of 
the  government  have  done  the  deeds. 

The  Samoiirai,  or  YaJconins,  compose  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  population,  and  form  the  dangerous  element 
of  society,  dangerous  at  least  to  foreigners.  They  are  the 
retainers  and  fighting-men  of  the  Daimios,  and  one  of  their 
characteristics  is  that  they  never  appear  in  the  streets  un- 
less armed  with  two  swords,  a  long  and  a  short  one.  The 
long  sword  is  heavy,  of  the  finest  tempered  steel,  and  kept 
always  as  sharp  as  a  razor.  This  sword,  which  is  worn 
constantly  by  the  Yakonins,  is  the  instrument  used  for  de- 
capitation in  capital  punishment,  one  blow  from  a  strong 
hand  completely  severing  the  head  from  the  body.  It 
would  readily  cleave  throus^h  a  man's  skull  or  take  a  limb 
from  his  body.  These  two-sworded  men — the  gentry  of 
the  country,  as  they  consider  themselves — have  the  stron- 
gest reason  to  oppose  any  change  that  would  deprive  them 
of  their  position  and  living.     Having  little  or  nothing  to 

G 


~Qg  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

do,  they  indulge  freely  in  the  intoxicating  cup,  and  when 
drunk  on  the  streets  are  very  ready  to  express  their  dislike 
to  foreigners  by  trying  the  temper  of  their  swords  upon 
tliem.  As  in  some  civihzed  regions,  drunkenness  is  the 
immediate  instigating  cause  of  nearly  all  the  assaults  that 
are  made.  The  chief  peril  of  the  traveler  arises  from  the 
suddenness  with  which  the  assailants  make  their  attack. 
The  blow  comes  like  a  flash  of  lightning  out  of  a  clear  sky, 
and  the  assailants  disappear  as  suddenly. 

After  much  deliberation  on  the  subject,  we  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  we  might  as  well  not  have  come  to  Japan 
at  all  as  not  to  go  to  Yeddo ;  and  we  went.  The  city  is  at 
the  head  of  the  bay  on  which  Yokohama  is  situated,  and  a 
little  more  than  twenty  miles  distant.  There  was  at  that 
time  no  regular  communication  between  the  two  places, 
and  intercourse,  excepting  among  the  Japanese,  was  not  en- 
couraged by  the  government.  For  our  party  of  eight  we 
had  two  carriages,  driven  by  colored  men,  natives  of  the 
United  States,  who  had  been  several  years  in  Japan.  The 
carriages,  as  well  as  the  drivers,  were  importations. 

Our  baggage  was  sent  on  before  us  by  coolies,  who  make 
nearly  as  good  time  on  the  road  as  the  native  horses.  Each 
carriage  had  a  hettoe,  who  is  literally  a  footman.  Every 
one  who  keeps  a  horse  in  Japan  has  a  hettoe,  who  is  insep- 
arable from  the  horse  at  home  and  on  the  road.  In  riding 
or  driving  he  runs  with  the  horse,  and  is  always  ready  to 
take  him  by  the  head  and  guide  him,  especially  in  turning 
a  corner,  the  horses  having  little  regard  for  the  bit.  The 
hettoes  are  as  fleet  of  foot  as  the  Xortli  American  Indians, 
and  will  travel  as  fast  and  as  far  in  a  day  as  the  horse. 
They  are  naked,  with  the  exception  of  the  little  strip  of 
cloth  around  the  loins ;  but,  in  lieu  of  clothing,  they  are 
often  tattooed  from  the  shoulders  to  the  knees  in  colors, 
red,  and  blue,  and  other  dark  shades,  which  gives  them  a  pic- 
turesque appearance.  AVhen  we  arrived  at  Yeddo  our  het- 
toes were  as  fresh  as  when  we  started  from  Yokohama,  show- 
ino-  far  less  sio;ns  of  weariness  than  the  horses  themselves. 


JJETTOES. 


100  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

The  Tokaido,  or  imperial  lii<^lnvay,  the  only  road  in  Ja- 
pan that  can  be  traveled  by  carriage,  extends  from  one  end 
of  the  island  of  Niphon  to  the  other,  about  three  hundred 
miles,  passing  directly  through  the  capital,  and  connecting 
it  with  Yokohama  or  Kanagawa.  The  drive  between  the 
two  cities  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  in  the  world.  Lit- 
tle of  nature  is  to  be  seen,  but  from  first  to  last  it  is  like  a 
drive  through  a  museum,  a  grand  curiosity-shop;  the  To- 
kaido, the  whole  twenty-two  miles,  being  a  succession  of 
the  same  beautiful  little  shops,  with  neatly-arranged  wares, 
useful  and  ornamental,  which  line  the  streets  of  all  the  cit- 
ies of  Japan.  These  shops  are  small,  but  the  fronts  are 
open  to  the  street,  and  every  thing  they  contain  can  be  seen 
at  a  glance.  Once  or  twice  there  was  a  slight  break  in  the 
succession  of  shops  and  tea-houses,  where  the  ground  was 
low  and  occupied  by  rice-fields,  but  art  soon  resumed  its 
sway. 

Nor  was  this  apparently  endless,  but  ever-changing  pan- 
orama of  art,  though  exclusively  Japanese  and  novel  in  its 
character,  the  most  interesting  of  the  sights  to  be  seen  on 
the  way.  The  living  panorama  was  by  far  the  most  strik- 
ing and  entertaining.  The  Japanese  are  a  migratory  peo- 
ple in  their  tastes,  always  on  the  move,  either  for  business 
or  jDleasure ;  and  from  Yokohama  to  the  capital  we  passed 
through  a  living  swarm  of  people,  representing  all  the 
phases  of  this  peculiar  race. 

I  scarcely  know  where  to  begin  in  describing  the  throng 
that  was  moving  to  and  fro,  or  stationary  by  the  roadside, 
within  and  in  front  of  the  shops.  I  may  as  well  begin  at 
the  lowest  element — the  naked  coolies,  who  were  carrying 
burdens  of  every  sort  on  their  shoulders,  or  more  generally 
swung  upon  a  pole  that  rested  on  the  shoulders  of  two  or 
four  men,  as  the  burden  might  require ;  or  who  were  car- 
rying travelers  in  norimons  or  kangos,  the  carriages  of  the 
country,  answering  to  the  sedan  chair  of  China  and  India. 
So  numerous  was  this  class  of  travelers  that  it  often  seemed 
as  if  two  thirds  of  the  whole  population  were  carrying  the 


EXCURSIONS  IN  JAPAN. 


101 


JAPANESE   KANGO. 


Other  third  on  their  shoulders.  About  the  same  proportion: 
of  the  people  and  the  same  variety  of  classes  travel  in  this 
way  in  Japan  as  in  the  omnibus  or  car  in  oue  of  our  cities. 
Then  would  come  passengers  of  all  sorts  on  foot,  and  their 
feet  on  high  clogs  or  straw  sandals,  going  on  errands  we 
knew  not  what ;  men  and  women,  the  latter  with  children 
lashed  to  their  backs,  the  universal  method  of  carrying  chil- 
dren in  this  country,  and  one  which  does  not  seem  to  in- 
terfere  with  any  of  the  occupations  of  the  people,  either  in 
the  house  or  the  field ;  then  would  come  traveling  mer- 
chants, with  their  wares  carried  by  attendants :  and  every 
now  and  then  we  would  come  upon  some  haughty-looking, 
two-sworded  ofilcial  on  horseback,  with  attendants,  and  re- 
ceive from  him  a  sinister  look  as  he  passed,  saying  as  much 
as  "  "What  l)usiness  have  you  pantalooned  and  petticoated 
foreio-ners  in  this  country,  and  on  this  Tokaido  ?" 

And  now  we  would  meet  some  jolly  crowd,  or  find  them 
assembled  at  the  tea-houses  by  the  way,  and  receive  from 
them  tlie  pleasant  salutation  0-ha-yo  (good  morning),  or  a 
smile  and  a  graceful  bow ;  and  then  we  would  jostle  one 
of  the  i^ack-horses  of  the  country  bearing  towering  loads, 
the  heels  of  the  vicious  beasts  scattering  the  people  right 
and  left ;  liere  would  come  a  Buddhist  priest,  with  his 
head  completely  shaved,  and  looking  in  the  upper  story 


102 


AROUSD  THE  WOULD. 


JAPANESE  KEBTUiG. 


very  much  like  a  new-born 
baby,  and  there  a  professor 
of  the  heahng  art,  equally 
guiltless  of  hair,  and  hav- 
ing an  equally  sage  appear- 
ance. Often  we  came  upon 
groups  and  single  persons 
sitting  upon  their  haunches 
in  a  curious  attitude, which 
we  found  was  the  way  the 
people  rest  themselves 
when  fatigued.  All  over 
Japan  we  noticed  the  same 
peculiar  custom. 
An  open  space  on  the  way  was  devoted  to  a  miserable 
race  of  beggars,  some  of  them  diseased  and  others  deform- 
ed, who  w^ere  importunate  in  their  cries  for  a  tempo,  one  of 
the  smallest  coins.  At  frequent  intervals  an  opening  in 
the  shops  revealed  a  beautiful  grove  or  square,  with  a  Shin- 
too  or  Buddhist  temple,  although  few,  if  any,  worshipers 
were  to  be  seen.  The  tea-houses  occurred  frequently ;  and, 
as  we  stopped  at  any  one  of  them  to  rest  our  horses,  or  for 
a  relay,  or  to  conform  to  the  general  custom  of  travelers  on 
the  Tokaido  to  take  a  cup  of  tea,  a  damsel  would  come 
out.  to  the  carriage,  and  with  a  respectful,  easy  bow,  and  a 
0-ha-yo,  hand  up  a  tray  of  tiny  cups  of  tea,  which  it  was 
our  duty  to  drink  as  often  as  it  was  handed,  although  it 
was  such  a  weak  infusion  of  the  leaf  as  to  make  it  more 
like  medicine  than  a  beverage.  The>  Japanese  know  noth- 
ino;  of  the  delicious  decoction,  well  creamed  and  sweetened, 
which  cheers  tlie  hearts  of  the  l^i^^e'^ives,  and  house-hus- 
bands too,  in  other  and  distant  lail^s. 

As  we  approached  Yeddo,  the  shops,  which  are  almost 
invariably  fronts  of  houses,  became  wider  and  more  impos- 
ing, though  never  rising  above  a  second,  and  seldom  above 
a  first  story,  being  s^^read  out  uj^on  the  ground.  Through 
the  openings  we  could  look  back  into  the  most  exquisite 


^,^'  i'"^*r^     I     'III  III 'I 

Jlr.       I  *  111  1,1 


104  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

little  yards  or  g-arclens,  ornamented  with  flowers  and  the 
dwarfed  evergreens,  of  which  there  is  a  great  variety  all 
over  Japan. 

And  now  we  are  entering  the  suburbs  of  Yeddo,  and 
now  the  city  itself.  The  crowd  increases,  and  becomes 
more  and  more  curious,  the  ladies  of  our  party  (as  do  tlie 
ladies  every  where)  attracting  the  most  attention.  The 
people  all  along  the  street,  as  if  out  on  a  holiday,  stand  and 
stare  and  laugh  as  we  pass,  as  if  we  were  the  lirst  of  our 
kind  ever  seen  in  Yeddo.  Passing  through  one  of  the  many 
gates  within  the  city,  which  seem  designed  for  police  pur- 
poses and  not  for  defense,  we  meet  a  Japanese  regiment  of 
soldiers,  and  give  them  a  wide  berth,  while  laughing  most 
heartily  in  our  sleeves  at  the  grotesque,  tatterdemalion  ap- 
pearance they  make.  They  reminded  us  strongly  of  the 
fantasticals  of  our  own  city.  The  bass-drummer  was  a 
real  Falstaff,  the  sight  of  whom  would  have  thrown  Ho- 
garth into  an  ecstasy  of  delight. 

On  reaching  Yeddo  we  were  driven  to  the  Niphon  Hotel, 
the  finest  hotel  in  the  empire,  and  one  which  would  not  dis- 
credit any  city  in  the  world.  No  passports  and  no  passes 
were  demanded,  although,  in  crossing  a  river  ten  or  twelve 
miles  below,  we  showed  written  passes  obtained  from  the 
American  consul  at  Yokohama,  for  which  he  charged  us 
one  dollar  each,  while  the  Japanese  officials  just  across  the 
street  countersigned  them  without  any  fee.  The  hotel — 
occupying,  with  its  grounds  beautifully  laid  out,  about  four 
acres — was  built  by  a  Japanese  stock  company,  not  so  much 
for  a  speculation,  I  imagine,  as  to  confine  the  foreigners 
who  might  visit  Yeddo.  It  is  situated  immediately  on  the 
bay,  next  to  what  is  known  as  "  the  Concession" — ^the  land 
appropriated  to  foreigners  for  purposes  of  trade. 

On  the  sea  front  of  the  grounds  were  thirteen  flag-staffs, 
in  readiness  for  the  flags  of  as  many  foreign  representatives. 
When  the  treaty  was  signed,  and  Japan  was  opened  to  for- 
eign trade,  it  was  expected  that  the  foreign  merchants 
would  come  to  Yeddo  to  transact  business.     A  concession 


EXCURSIONS  IN  JAPAN.  ]^05 

of  land  on  the  shore  of  the  bay  was  made  for  the  erection 
of  warehouses,  and  the  hotel  was  built  to  confine  the  for- 
eigners in  the  same  quarter.  But  Yeddo  can  not  be  ap- 
proached by  large  vessels,  and  those  engaged  in  the  foreign 
trade  found  that  they  could  do  their  business  better  at  Yo- 
kohama, and  the  hotel  has  consequently  been  a  failure. 
There  were  only  four  or  five,  besides  ourselves,  staying 
there,  and,  as  a  general  thing,  it  is  quite  empty.  It  is  a 
magnificent  building  for  this  country.  The  rooms,  public 
and  private,  are  large  and  airy,  and  are  quite  well  furnish- 
ed. The  broad  piazzas,  extending  along  the  entire  front  of 
about  200  feet,  command  a  fine  view  of  the  bay,  and  from 
the  cupola  there  is  an  extensive  view  of  the  city.  An  acre 
or  more  between  the  hotel  and  the  bay  is  laid  out  in  Japan- 
ese style  —  with  miniature  hills  and  lawns,  and  lakes  and 
bridges,  and  ornamented  with  flowers  and  trees  trimmed  in 
fancy  shapes.     It  is  a  beautiful  picture  in  itself. 

The  grounds  of  the  hotel  are  surrounded  by  a  high  wall, 
and  in  the  city  front  is  an  arched  gateway,  along  which  are 
barracks  for  the  Japanese  guards,  M^ithout  whom  we  were 
not  expected  to  go  into  the  city.  Whether  they  went  out 
with  us  as  spies  on  our  purposes  or  to  protect  us  was  to  us 
a  matter  of  no  consequence,  inasmuch  as  they  proved  a  pro- 
tection from  the  crowds  which  every  M'here  surrounded  us. 

As  soon  as  we  had  got  ourselves  and  our  traps  arranged, 
we  intimated  at  the  office  our  desire  to  take  a  walk  and 
visit  a  large  temple  near  by.  Presently  eight  men,  each 
armed  with  the  inevitable  two  SM'ords,  were  ready  to  attend 
us,  one  man  for  each  one  of  our  party,  and,  thus  escorted, 
we  sallied  forth  into  the  street.  We  had  not  gone  a  block 
before  a  large  crowd  of  men,  women,  and  children  began 
to  surround  us,  pressing  close  to  us,  especially  curious  to 
examine  the  ladies  of  our  party,  and  to  take  hold  of  their 
dresses.  It  was  a  very  good-natured  crowd,  and  even  our 
guards  smiled  at  their  curiosity,  and  said  as  much  b}'  their 
looks  as  that  they  were  quite  harndess.  When  we  reached 
the  temple  they  all  cast  off  their  sandals,  and  rushed  in  be- 


IIELFBY   IN   OOTJET-YAED   OF   TEMPLE. 


EXCURSIONS  IX  JAPAN.  107 

fore  us  to  get  a  better  view  while  we  were  standing.  One 
might  suppose  we  were  the  lirst  visitors  of  the  sort  they 
had  ever  seen,  and  that  they  imagined  we  had  just  come 
down  from  the  stars. 

The  temples  of  Yeddo  tower  above  all  the  other  build- 
ings of  the  city.  The  houses  and  shops  (and  every  house 
seems  to  be  a  shop)  are  all  of  a  single  story  or  a  story  and 
a  half,  built  low,  so  that  they  may  not  have  far  to  fall  in 
case  of  an  earthquake,  one  of  the  every-day  occurrences. 
The  temple  that  we  iirst  visited  was  a  structure  about  fifty 
feet  in  height,  of  which  the  four-sided  high  roof  formed  a 
chief  part.  The  architecture  was  Oi-iental  and  really  im- 
posing, and  the  interior  far  more  magnificent  and  in  every 
respect  in  better  taste  than  I  expected  to  find  it  fi-oni  the 
weather-beaten  appearance  of  the  exterior.  The  people  of 
the  place  are  not  allowed  to  enter  without  taking  off  their 
sandals,  and  an  exception  was  made  of  our  party  only  in 
the  case  of  the  ladies ;  but  this  custom  seems  to  arise  from 
a  regard  to  cleanliness,  and  not  fi'oin  reverence.  No  Japan- 
ese ever  enters  a  house  or  shop  without  taking  off  his  shoes 
and  leaving  them  at  the  threshold. 

We  had  arranged  to  drive  the  next  morning  to  Asaxa,  a 
distant  suburb  of  Yeddo,  which  is  devoted  in  a  great  meas- 
ure to  the  games  and  sports  of  the  people,  where  jugglers 
and  experts  of  all  kinds  give  their  performances  in  the 
open  air.  There  is  a  celebrated  temple  in  this  quarter, 
which  we  were  desirous  to  visit,  but  the  morning  being 
rainy,  we  were  obliged  to  abandon  our  purpose,  and  it  was, 
perhaps,  well  that  we  did,  for  there  is  more  lawlessness  in 
this  quarter  of  the  city  than  in  any  other,  and  we  should 
have  been  more  exposed.  Some  friends  whom  I  after- 
ward met  were  stopped  on  their  way  and  advised  to  return 
on  account  of  exciting  demonstrations  which  were  taking 
place  on  that  day. 

In  company  with  the  Eev.  Mr.  Verbeck,  the  American 
missionary  who  was  called  to  the  head  of  the  English  De- 
partment of  the  Imperial  University,  I  \isited  several  of  the 


108  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

book-stores  to  see  and  inquire  into  their  literature.  The 
Japanese  are  a  reading-  people.  I  often  found  the  servants, 
when  not  on  duty,  engaged  in  reading ;  and  on  one  occa- 
sion I  took  the  book  from  the  hand  of  one  of  them,  and 
found  it  a  profusely  illustrated  volume.  Their  reading  is 
chiefly  sensational  novels,  arranged  after  the  most  approved 
style  of  French  or  English  Action — with  a  pair  of  lovers, 
who  pass  through  all  sorts  of  adventures,  in  which  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars  conspire  against  them,  but  the  lover  at 
length,  with  his  heavy  sword,  cuts  through  all  opposition, 
performing  miracles  of  valor,  carrying  off  his  prize,  and 
they  live  and  die  the  happiest  of  mortals.  Their  literature 
is  not  more  free  from  o-rossness  and  immoralitv  than  that 
of  civilized  nations. 

The  second  mornino-  we  drove  to  a  hio-h  bluff  in  the 
centre  of  the  cit}'  called  Atangoreama,  which  is  reached  by 
a  long  flight  of  stone  steps,  about  a  hundred  in  all.  "We 
were  attended  this  time  by  a  mounted  o-uard  of  nine  Ya- 
Jcoiiin  soldiers,  wlio  suri'ounded  our  carriage  when  we  rode, 
and  dismounted  to  accompany  and  protect  us  M-henever  we 
had  occasion  to  walk.  Every  where  we  attracted  the  same 
attention  and  the  same  crowd.  The  heio-hts  of  Atancjo- 
reama  afford  the  finest  %dew  of  the  city,  and  overlook  the 
castle  or  palace  of  the  Tycoon,  which,  since  the  Tycoonate 
was  abolished,  is  used  for  the  purposes  of  the  new  govern- 
ment. The  castle  stands  upon  high  ground,  and  is  strongly 
fortified  after  the  Japanese  fashion,  with  walled  terraces  and 
deep,  wide  moats,  making  it  almost  impregnable  to  native 
attacks,  although  comparatively  weak  to  those  skilled  in 
the  more  modern  arts  of  war.  A  drive  along  the  castle 
walls  and  moats  is  one  of  the  ffreat  attractions  of  Yeddo. 

The  citv,  which  stretches  out  for  miles  in  everv  direc- 
tion,  abounds  in  beautiful  spots  and  interesting  scenes,  in 
which  Japanese  art  has  combined  wdth  nature  to  produce 
the  finest  effect.  Gen.Van  Yalkenburg,  the  American  min- 
ister, who  resided  at  Yeddo  while  the  foreio-n  leo-ations  were 
located  at  the  capital,  in  speaking  to  me  of  its  beauties,  said 


EXCUESIONS  IN  JAPAK  109 

one  might  take  a  new  walk  or  a  new  ride  every  day  in  the 
year  and  find  some  charming  scene.  We  were  compelled 
to  leave  the  most  of  these  unseen,  but  we  were  advised  not 
to  fail  of  visiting  the  ancient  cemetery  of  the  Tycoons,  with 
its  splendid  temples.  These  sacred  grounds  must  have  been 
laid  out  many  centuries  ago,  and  successive  rulers  have 
spent  immense  sums  in  adorning  them  and  keeping  them 
in  order.  The  place  is  called  Shiba  (pronounced  Slha  at 
Yeddo  and  Shiba  in  the  provinces,  the  precise  difference 
between  Shibboleth  and  Sibboleth).  It  covers  a  vast  ex- 
tent of  ground — a  hundred  or  perhaps  hundreds  of  acres, 
we  could  not  tell  how  many,  for  there  was  nothing  to 
bound  the  vision  when  we  were  once  within  the  inclosure. 

Entering  by  a  massive  gateway,  we  drove  a  long  distance 
on  a  broad  avenue  shaded  by  magnificent  old  trees.  The 
avenue  itself,  and  the  grounds  on  both  sides,  ornamented 
with  trees  and  shrubbery,  are  kept  with  that  scrupulous 
neatness  whicli  is  characteristic  of  the  Japanese.  We  came 
at  length  to  another  arched  gateway,  where  we  left  our  car- 
riages and  passed  into  a  square  court  of  some  acres,  in 
which  stands  a  temple  exceeding  in  grandeur  and  splendor 
all  tliat  we  had  imagined  of  Japanese  architecture.  The 
extei'ior  is  heavily  ornamented  with  carving,  and  the  in- 
terior literally  shone  witli  burnished  gold. 

Leaving  this  temple,  we  passed  to  another  part  of  the 
cemetery,  and  were  conducted  through  a  succession  of 
courts  and  temples  not  so  large  as  the  first,  but  far  more 
elaborately  and  beautifully  ornamented.  I  was  surprised 
by  the  refined  taste  in  the  combinations  of  colors  and  in 
the  other  ornaments  with  which  they  were  loaded.  Some 
of  the  wide  court-yards,  inclosing  temples,  were  surrounded 
with  porticoes,  or  loggia,  the  roofs  of  which  were  exqui- 
sitely frescoed  with  a  beauty  and  modesty  of  coloring  that 
I  have  never  seen  surpassed  in  any  country.  The  panel- 
ing contained  carvings  of  birds  in  endless  variety,  painted 
as  if  from  life. 

From  Shiba  we  returned  to  Yokohama,  passing  through 


110  AROUND  TEE  WOULD. 

the  same  living  and  moving  museum  as  on  the  way  up.  It 
was  a  curious  scene,  and  in  passing  through  it  I  was  often 
reminded  of  the  remark  of  a  gentleman  whom  I  met  just 
as  we  were  starting  for  Yeddo,  "  You  will  need  a  hundred 
eyes  to  see  all  that  you  will  meet  with  on  the  way." 


JAPAN  AND  THE  JAPANESE. 


The  territory  of  Japan  comprises  four  large  islands  and 
nearly  4000  smaller  ones.  There  are  seven  grand  divisions, 
which  are  subdivided  into  sixty-eight  provinces,  and  these 
again  into  smaller  districts  and  towns.  It  has  an  area  of 
190,000  square  miles,  and  a  population  of  about  20,000,000. 
For  the  last  600  hundred  years  there  have  been  both  a 
civil  and  a  religious  ruler,  although  the  latter  was  scarcely 
any  thing  more  than  a  nominal  officer.  The  former,  known 
under  the  name  of  Taikun  or  Tvcoon,  had  the  reins  of 
government  in  his  own  hands ;  but  the  Mikado  was  recog- 
nized as  the  relio-ious  head  of  the  countrv,  and  was  indeed 
superior  in  rank  to  the  Tycoon,  although  he  had  little  to 
do  with  public  affairs,  and  his  existence  was  almost  regard- 
ed as  a  myth.  In  the  year  1868  a  revolution  was  inaugu- 
rated, and  at  length  became  successful,  by  which  the  power 
of  the  Tycoon  was  overthrown.  He  was  reduced  to  the 
position  of  prince  of  the  empire,  the  Mikado  was  duly  in- 
stalled as  supreme  ruler,  and  is  now  recognized  as  such 
throughout  the  empire.  Below  him  there  are  260  Daimios, 
of  whom  eighteen  are  tlie  great  chiefs  of  the  empire — 
feudal  lords  with  supreme  authority  in  their  own  provinces, 
and  having  under  them  thousands  of  retainers,  the  two- 
sworded  men  of  the  country,  a  class  who  live  upon  the 
Daimios,  supposed  to  be  ready  to  do  their  fighting  for 
them,  and  who  are  sometimes  quite  as  ready  to  fight  on 


JAPA ¥  AND  THE  JAPANESE.  \l\ 

their  own  account.  Each  of  the  more  powerful  Daiuiios 
has  many  thousands  of  these  retainers,  who  regard  them- 
selves, and  are  regarded  by  the  rest  of  the  people,  as  the 
gentry  of  the  country,  entitled  to  live  without  labor.  Be- 
fore the  late  change  in  the  government  the  Daimios  were 
required  to  reside  at  the  capital  half  the  year,  and  to  leave 
their  families  there  the  whole  of  the  year  as  hostages  or 
jjledges  of  their  adherence  to  and  support  of  the  reigning 
power.  Their  residence,  with  an  immense  number  of  their 
retainers,  added  greatly  to  the  population  of  Yeddo.  Since 
the  change  they  are  allow^ed  to  reside  in  their  own  prov- 
inces, and  Yeddo  is  now  a  city  of  deserted  palaces,  the  pop- 
ulation having  been  decreased  by  the  removal  of  the  Dai- 
mios and  their  retinues  to  the  extent  of  more  tlian  half  a 
million,  some  say  more  than  a  million. 

The  Mikado,  who  is  now  the  supreme  and  only  acknowl- 
edged head  of  the  government,  formerly  had  his  palace  at 
Miako,  the  religious  capital  of  the  empire ;  but  since  he  has 
been  acknowledged  as  emperor,  he  has  taken  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Yeddo,  or  is  supposed  to  have  done  so,  for  he  is 
seldom,  if  ever,  seen  by  the  people,  and  even  the  recep- 
tions which  he  has  given  to  tlie  representatives  of  foreign 
powers  are  said  tn  have  been  given  by  proxy.  Such  is 
the  mystery  thrown  by  the  Japanese  officials  around  every 
thing  pertaining  to  their  government,  that  it  w^ould  not  be 
strange  if  the  Mikado,  in  giving  audience  to  foreign  em- 
bassadors, had  deputed  some  one  to  represent  him  without 
allowing  it  to  be  known  that  he  had  not  appeared  in  per- 
son. The  duplicity  of  Oriental  courts,  and  their  utter  in- 
comprehensibility are  so  well  known,  that  scarcely  any 
thing  of  this  nature  should  awaken  sui'prise.  All  who  have 
to  deal  with  them  will  be  taken  by  surprise  only  w^hen  they 
shall  be  found  acting  on  open  ground  and  upon  fair  prin- 
ciples. 

The  present  government  of  Japan  gives  no  promise  of 
being  stable.  The  Mikado  lias  been  placed  in  power,  not 
by  his  own  ability  or  energies,  but  by  some  of  the  more  in- 


112  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

flueiitial  Daimios,  and  is  now  in  the  liands  of  a  clique  who 
will  see  that  he  does  nothing  prejudicial  to  their  plans  and 
interests.  Indeed,  his  authority  is  merely  nominal ;  he  has 
but  the  semblance  of  imperial  power,  the  Daimios  being 
supreme  within  their  respective  territories.  For  the  sake 
of  presenting  a  united  front  against  foreign  nations,  and  of 
keeping  up  the  traditional  forms  of  royalty  before  the  peo- 
ple, the  central  organization  is  maintained ;  but  it  is  more 
than  ever  exposed  to  revolution,  and  may  speedily  fall 
through  its  own  weakness.  It  has  no  resources  of  any 
kind.  It  is  financially  bankrupt,  and  is  resorting  to  every 
temporary  expedient  to  obtain  the  means  of  existence. 
Crime  of  almost  any  nature  may  be  condoned  by  the  pay- 
ment of  sufficient  sums.  Just  before  I  was  in  leddo,  a 
woman  was  convicted  of  the  murder  of  her  husband,  and 
was  sentenced  to  be  crucified,  but  she  escaped  the  cross  by 
the  payment  of  a  sum  amounting  to  about  $1000. 

While  I  was  at  Yokohama,  an  ofiicial  order,  which  had 
been  sent  to  the  Japanese  merchants,  was  made  public,  to 
the  great  disgust  of  the  authorities,  who  wished  to  keep  it 
secret  fi'om  foreigners,  requiring  all  native  merchants  and 
traders,  who  might  receive  either  cash  or  checks  from  for- 
eigners, to  present  the  same  to  the  government  ofiicers  and 
receive  in  exchange  Japanese  money,  half  kinsats  and  half 
niboos — the  former  almost  worthless  paper  bonds  which 
are  irredeemable,  and  the  latter  a  depreciated  coin,  and 
one  which  is  counterfeited  to  an  unlimited  extent.  The 
object  of  the  order  was  to  enable  the  government  to  raise 
funds  by  substituting  poor  money  for  good,  and  making  a 
large  percentage ;  and  also  by  obtaining  the  cash  for  Jap- 
anese jpromises  to  jpay — a  mode  of  raising  the  wind  which, 
by  the  way,  is  not  confined  to  Japan. 

The  establishment  of  any  thing  like  a  republican  form 
of  government,  which  some  have  predicted,  with  the  pres- 
ent elements,  is  out  of  the  question.  The  only  people  in 
Japan  wdio  are  allowed  to  bear  arms,  and  who,  from  this 
cause  alone,  represent  the  physical  force  of  the  nation,  are 


JAPAN  AND  THE  JAPANESE.  W^ 

the  Yako7vins,  numbered  by  hundreds  of  thousands,  who 
are  supported  in  idleness,  and  who  would  be  deadly  hostile 
to  any  reorganization  of  the  government,  or  of  society, 
which  would  degrade  them  to  a  level  with  the  common 
people,  and  make  it  a  necessity  for  them  to  obtain  a  living 
by  working  for  it.  The  people  of  Japan  can  not  rise  and 
organize  for  themselves.  They  have  neither  the  intelli- 
gence, nor  the  means,  nor  the  disposition  to  make  a  dem- 
onstration toward  such  an  end.  It  appears  more  probable 
that  Japan,  for  some  time  to  come,  will  be  the  scene  of  suc- 
cessive revolutions :  that  it  will  not  settle  down  into  anv 
thing  like  stability  of  government.  There  is  nothing  out 
of  which  to  make,  or  on  which  to  found,  such  a  govern- 
ment as  some  of  its  sanguine  friends  have  been  predicting. 
There  are  intelligent  men  among  the  higher  classes  of  the 
Japanese — men  who  have  looked  into  the  condition  of 
other  nations,  and  who  are  not  wanting  in  admiration  of 
what  they  see  that  is  good  in  them — but  they  are  not  men 
who  are  enlightened  according  to  our  standard,  or  who 
would  be  qualified  to  lead  such  a  people  out  of  their  pres- 
ent condition  into  that  of  more  enlightened  nations.  JSTor 
would  the  conflicting  interests  of  so  many  petty  sovereigns 
as  Japan  contains — with  which  are  closely  united  the  inter- 
ests of  so  many  who  are  dependent  on  them — allow  of  such 
a  radical  change  as  the  country  must  undergo  before  it  can 
enjoy  the  blessings  of  a  free  or  even  of  a  good  government. 
Foreign  commerce  and  foreign  intercourse  have  not 
been  a  blessing  thus  far  to  the  Japanese.  Foreign  com- 
munications and  trade  have  broken  in  upon  the  quiet  hab- 
its of  a  people  that  were  living  in  almost  Arcadian  sim- 
plicity ;  they  have  excited  avaricious  and  grasping  desires 
among  those  who  were  content  before  with  moderate  re- 
turns for  their  industry ;  they  have  made  the  cost  of  liv- 
ing far  greater  to  the  people  themselves,  and  as  yet  have 
given  them  little  in  return  that  has  been  a  benefit.  Much 
must  be  done  in  the  future  to  promote  the  welfare  and  ad- 
vancement of  tlie  people  as  a  compensation  for  compelling 

II 


114  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

them  to  open  their  beautiful  islands  to  the  world,  and  for 
the  injury  tliat  has  been  already  done,  or  all  this  foreign 
intercourse  will  have  proved  only  a  curse.  The  Christian 
world  owes  a  heavy  debt  to  these  heathen  nations  which 
have  suffered  so  much  at  the  hands  of  Christian  govern- 
ments. 

The  Japanese,  although  far  more  agreeable  in  their  man- 
ners than  the  Chinese,  are  both  intellectually  and  physically 
inferior.  They  are  quicker  in  apprehension,  perhaps ;  more 
imitative  and  more  willing  to  learn  from  others ;  they  pos- 
sess, or  at  least  exhibit,  more  curiosity ;  they  are  decidedly 
ingenious,  but  are  wanting  in  mental  vigor  as  compared 
with  their  neighbors.  Neither  do  they  have  that  over- 
weening sense  of  their  importance  in  the  scale  of  being 
and  of  superior  knowledge  which  belongs  to  the  Chinese. 
Their  bearing  toward  each  other  and  toward  the  outside 
world  is  regulated  accordingly.  The  government  treats 
foreigners,  and  especially  foreign  officials,  with  sufficient 
superciliousness,  but  the  people  themselves  are  open-heart- 
ed, and  exceedingly  easy  and  polite  in  all  their  intercourse. 
Take  the  nation  together,  they  are  the  most  polite  and 
graceful  of  all  the  people  of  the  East.  I  should  call  them 
the  Frenchmen  of  Asia ;  but  this  w^ould  be  doing  injustice 
to  the  Japanese ;  for,  while  the  peasantry  of  France,  like 
those  of  other  nations,  are  often  coarse  and  rude  in  their 
manners,  the  Japanese,  even  in  the  rural  and  more  retired 
districts,  have  a  grace  and  even  a  courtliness  of  manner, 
and  are  as  polite  in  their  intercourse  as  those  who  dwell  in 
the  cities.  I  have  seen  the  people  meeting  in  the  most 
ordinary  circumstances,  and  bowing  with  the  most  pro- 
•found  respect  to  each  other,  as  if  they  were  embassadors 
instead  of  the  ordinary  working  men  and  women  of  the 
country.  I  have  wished  a  hundred  times  since  coming  to 
Japan  that  we  could  import  into  our  own  and  some  other 
civilized  countries  a  measure  of  this  "  want  of  civilization,'' 
or  "  barbarism,"  or  whatever  any  one  may  choose  to  call  it. 

In  their  houses  and  shops,  and  in  many  of  their  industrial 


JAPAN  AND  THE  JAPANESE. 


115 


JAPANESE  SALUTING. 


and  domestic  arrangements,  they  are  patterns  of  neatness 
and  good  taste.  One  may  walk  for  miles  through  their 
streets,  looking  into  their  dwellings  or  places  of  business, 
which  are  all  open  by  day,  and  he  will  never  tire  in  his  ad- 
miration of  the  cleanliness  which  prevails,  and  of  the  re- 
gard to  order  and  o-eneral  effect  in  the  arrano-ement  of  their 
various  wares  and  varying  colors.  They  are  like  the  shops 
of  Paris  in  this  respect.  The  little  gardens  attached  to 
their  dwellings  or  places  of  business  are  gems,  and  as  neat 
as  their  houses.  I  have  several  times  seen  a  house  divided 
(without  a  partition  or  wall  of  any  kind)  between  a  shop 
and  a  dwelling ;  and  while  the  blacksmith,  or  carpenter,  or 
cooper  would  be  plying  his  occupation  in  one  half,  the 
other,  raised  but  a  foot  or  two,  would  be  covered  with  mat- 
ting so  cleanly  that  no  one  would  think  of  stepping  on  it 
without  taking  off  his  shoes.  I  can  not  say  as  much  for 
the  personal  habits  of  the  people ;  for,  while  they  batlie  reg- 
ularly once  or  twice  a  day  (men,  women,  and  children 
going  through  the  operation  vigorously  together  in  a  com- 
'  mon  bath-liouse),  they  put  on  the  same  clothes,  and  wear 
them  until  they  are  worn  out. 


116 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  style  of  dress  in  Japan  is  even  moro  varied  than  it 
is  on  Broadway  in  New  York.  It  reaches  from  nothin<i" 
up  to  an  elaborate  toilet.  The  women,  I  am  happy  to  say, 
never  appear  in  public  without  some  sort  of  clothing  (which 
is  more  than  can  be  said  of  the  men),  and  the  former  show 
that  superiority  of  talent  in  this  department  which  is  char- 
acteristic of  the  sex 
in  other  parts  of  the 
world.  A  Japanese 
lady  thoroughly  ar- 
rayed is  really  an 
elaborate  work  of  art. 
A  laro;e  amount  of 
attention,  and  no  lit- 
tle expense,  to  begin 
with,  is  devoted  to  the 
arrangement  of  the 
hail',  even  the  com- 
mon people  regular- 
ly employing  a  hair- 
dresser. If  they  can 
not  afford  the  luxury 
every  day,  they  will 
make  it  last  for.  two 
days  by  sleeping  on  a 
wooden  pillow  placed 
under  the  neck.  The 
item  of  next  import- 
ance in  a  Japanese 
lady's  toilet  is  her  ohi,  or  girdle,  which  is  usually  of  some 
bright  colors,  and  arranged  behind  with  great  care,  so  as  to 
form  the  camel's  hump  so  popular  among  other  uncivilized 
nations,  especially  Xew  Yorkers.  The  Grecian  bend  is  an 
old  institution  in  Japan,  and  to  see  one  of  these  dark-skin- 
ned ladies,  with  her  extensive  head-dress,  a  hump  upon  her 
back,  an  extremely  narrow  skirt,  high  wooden  pattens,  her 
body  thrown  forward  as  she  minces  her  steps,  you  would 


FEMALE   UAIR-DEES8EE. 


JAPAN  AND  THE  JAPANESE. 


117 


imagine  that  she  was  caricaturing  the  brainless  votaries  of 
fashion  in  other  lands ;  but  she  is  only  dressing  as  her  peo- 
ple have  dressed,  and  walking  as  they  have  walked  for 
centuries.  Tlie  ohi  serves  a  purpose  in  Japan  which  I  have 
not  heard  attributed  to  it  elsewhere.  When  a  w^oman  be- 
comes a  widow,  she  makes  no  change  unless  she  wishes  to 
announce  her  purpose  never  to  marry  again,  in  which  case 
rilie  ties  her  ohi  in  front.  How  effectual  it  is  to  ward  oft 
all  proposals  I  do  not  know ;  but,  as  it  is  always  and  every 
where  the  privilege  of  a  woman  to  change  her  mind,  it  is 
said  the  girdle  occasionally  works  its  way  around  to  its. 
normal  position  behind. 

One  of  the  customs  of  married  life  is  absolutely  hideous. 
The  Japanese  generally  have  line  teeth,  but  when  a  woman 
marries  slie  is  compelled  by  the  laws  of  society  to  dye  her 
teeth  black,  and  this  process  is  renewed  every  three  or  four 
days.  In  city  or  country,  wherever  you  go,  you  meet  the 
grim  smile  of  the  women  who  have  fallen  into  the  bonds 
of  matrimony,  and  they  look  more  like  hybrid  monsters, 
with  their  black  teeth,  than  like  the  lovely  beings  that  they 
ought  to  be.  What  was  the  origin  of  this  custom  I  do  not 
know,  but  there  are  only  two  things  which  have  led  me  to 
desire  temporary  imperial  authority  in  Japan — one  is  to  es- 
tablish some  sort  of  costume  for  the  men,  and  the  other  to 
abolish  the  custom  of  married  women  dyeing  their  teeth. 

In  Japan  men  shave  their  heads  just  where  the  Chinese 
do  not,  making  a  bald  spot  upon  the  crown,  which  likens 
them  to  Jesuit  priests,  while  they  leave  a  broad  circle  of 
hair  around  the  head.  Men  and  women  shave  the  eye- 
brows off  smooth,  and  have  the  hair  carefully  plucked  out 
of  the  ears  and  nose.  The  barber  is  an  important  func- 
tionary in  this  part  of  the  world,  every  person  of  high  oi 
low  degree  calling  his  services  into  requisition  almost  daily. 
Economically,  it  might  be  i-egarded  as  a  great  expense  to 
the  nation,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  affords  employment 
and  support  for  a  large  class. 

The  shoeing  of  the  Japanese  is  as  simple  as  are  their  un- 


118  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

derstandiugs.  They  are  strictly  Oriental  in  their  habits  in 
this  respect,  wearing  only  sandals  or  pattens  in  muddy 
weather  (which, by  the  way,  is  the  general  rule  and  not  the 
exception  in  Japan,  more  than  100  inches  of  water  having 
fallen  thus  far  during  the  present  year,  and  125  mches  last 
year).  The  sandals  and  pattens  are  held  to  the  foot  by  a 
cord  passing  between  the  first  and  second  toes,  so  that  they 
can  be  slipped  on  or  ofl:  without  effort.  Some  persons  al- 
lege that  the  Japanese  are  born  with  a  wide  space  between 
the  toes  for  this  very  purpose,  but  it  is  quite  as  likely  that 
the  cord  has  made  or  increased  the  space  which  is  natural 
to  every  man.  They  wear  no  stockings,  and  yet  they  seem 
as  much  afraid  as  chickens  of  stepping  into  the  water, 
while  their  dread  of  the  fluid,  except  in  the  form  of  a  reg- 
ular bath,  is  displayed  in  the  universal  habit  of  carrying  an 
umbrella,  even  when  it  sprinkles  never  so  little.  1  have 
seen  scores  of  people,  almost  entirely  naked,  walking  on 
liigh  pattens,  with  umbrellas  spread  over  their  heads,  as  if 
the  rain  of  heaven  or  the  moisture  of  the  ground  would 
prove  fatal. 

Many  of  their  habits  are  the  very  opposites  of  those  of 
other  nations.  The  carpenter,  in  using  the  plane,  always 
draws  it  toward  liim  instead  of  pusliing  it.  It  is  the  same 
with  the  saw,  which  he  draws  when  he  -wishes  to  cut,  the 
teeth  being  set  accordingly.  One  of  their  customs  struck 
me  as  an  improvement  upon  the  mode  of  doing  things  in 
civilized  countries,  especially  after  I  had  acquired  some 
knowledge  of  the  heels  of  their  vicious  ponies.  In  stabling 
their  horses  they  tie  them  with  the  heads  to  the  door  or 
front  of  the  stable,  so  that  they  can  approach  them  in  front 
instead  of  behind,  tlius  reducing  to  every-day  practice  the 
trick  of  the  showman  who  made  a  handsome  sum  by  ad- 
mitting visitors  to  see  a  horse  whose  head  was  where  his 
tail  ought  to  be.  Their  horses,  by  the  way,  are  generally 
shod  with  straw  instead  of  iron.  A  straw  mat  is  fastened 
upon  the  foot  with  cords  of  the  same  material,  and  so 
slightly  that  the  streets  in  which  horses  are  used,  especial- 


JAPAN  AND  THE  JAPANESE.  HQ 

ly  the  Tokaido,  are  strewn  with  the  cast-off  sandals  of  the 
ponies. 


JAPANESE  H0E8E-SH0E  AND   SADDLE. 


The  Japanese  have  a  great  fondness  for  painting  and 
drawing,  as  almost  every  article  that  is  manufactnred  in 
the  country  will  show.  Their  books  are  profusely  illus- 
trated, often  with  plates  highly  colored,  and,  excepting  that 


GE0I7P  01'-  UOKBES. 


120 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


they  seem  to  have  no  idea  of  perspective,  they  excel  in  po- 
etical representation.  Their  drawings  of  animals  are  in 
the  highest  degree  spirited  and  graceful,  and  it  is  a  perfect 
marvel  how  much  they  will  express  by  a  few  simple  strokes 
of  the  pencil.  They  are,  withal,  great  caricaturists,  but  in 
their  drawings  they  present  rather  the  humorous  than  the 
unpleasantly  grotesque. 


ATHLETES. 


In  some  of  the  arts  the  Japanese  are  in  advance  of  all 
other  nations.  The  porcelain  of  Japan,  notwithstanding  it 
takes  its  name  from  the  Celestial  Emj)ire,  is  rarely  rivaled 
in  China.  The  lacquer-ware  is  beyond  comparison  with 
the  productions  of  any  other  country.  The  finest  speci- 
mens are  rarely  exported,  being  held  at  prices  that  strike  a 
stranger  as  enormous.  They  excel  in  working  in  metals, 
especially  in  bronzes  and  in  all  inlaying  work.  I  saw  in 
their  shops  exquisite  vases  of  bronze  that  were  valued  at 
$1200  the  pair,  the  work  of  w^iich  could  not  be  equaled  in 
Paris.  The  inlaying  of  metals,  as  of  steel  with  gold  and 
silver,  is  carried  to  the  highest  perfection,  almost  making  it 


JAPAN  AND  THE  JAPANESE.  121 

an  art  peculiar  to  Japan.  In  tempering  and  fashioning 
steel  blades  the  ancient  fame  of  Damascus  has  been  re- 
layed among  this  simple  people.  We  entertain  altogether 
too  high  an  opinion  of  our  modern  perfection  in  art  as 
(compared  with  some  people  whom  we  have  been  wont  to 
place  on  the  borders  of  barbarism. 

The  beggars  in  Japan,  as  in  many  other  countries,  form 
a  distinct  profession,  though  not  so  numerous  or  so  impe- 
rious in  their  demands  as  in  Europe,  and  their  moderation 
and  apparent  honesty  are  a  model  for  the  beggars  of  all 
nations.  Seeing  some  forty  or  fifty  coppers  hanging  on  as 
many  nails  at  the  front  of  a  shop  (the  copper  coin  has  a 
liole  in  the  centre),  I  inquired  what  they  were  for,  and  was 
told  they  were  placed  there  by  the  shopkeeper  to  save  time 
and  trouble  in  answering  the  calls  of  the  mendicants. 
When  one  came  along  he  simply  took  a  copper  and  pass- 
ed on,  never  abusing  the  charity  of  the  shopkeeper  by  tak- 
ing two.  The  device  by  which  their  calls  are  attended  to 
might  be  worth  imitating  in  other  parts,  if  equally  hon- 
est beggars  could  be  found. 

The  people  are  not  without  some  of  the  habits  of  civil- 
ized nations,  and  drunkenness  among  others.  This  is  a 
common  \dce,  a  cheap  form  of  highly  intoxicating  liquor 
called  saJci,  distilled  from  rice,  affording  the  means  of  get- 
ting drunk  at  little  expense. 

Capital  crimes  are  punished  either  by  decapitation  with 
the  sword  or  crucifixion.  Several  executions  by  the  for- 
mer mode  took  place  while  I  was  in  Japan.  The  latter  has 
been  common  until  within  a  few  years,  and  it  is  still  prac- 
ticed. Each  city  has  its  execution-ground,  which  is  often 
upon  the  high  road.  We  passed  those  of  Yokohama  and 
Yeddo  in  going  to  the  latter  city. 

Their  mode  of  disposing  of  tlie  dead  is  both  by  burial 
and  burning,  the  wishes  of  the  dying  being  considered  by 
the  friends  imperative  as  to  the  mode  in  which  the  body 
shall  be  disposed  of.  In  some  parts  of  Japan  burning  is 
always  practiced.     A  large  furnace  is  connected  with  the 


122 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


cemetery,  in  whicli 
the  body  is  speedily 
consumed,  the  ashes 
being  carefully  pre- 
served, and  buried 
with  as  much  sacred- 
ness  as  the  entire  re- 
mains in  other  coun- 
tries. Some  of  the 
cemeteries  are  very 
beautiful,  covering  a 
large  extent  of  the 
hill-sides.  The  large 
cemetery  at  Nagasa- 
ki, as  seen  from  the 
harbor,  presents  a 
very  striking  appear- 
ance, tiers  of  tombs 
rising  one  above  an- 
other in  graceful  ter- 
races. 

The  Japanese  are 
not  what  we  should 
call  a  religious  people.  The  two  prevailing  forms  of  re- 
ligion are  Shintooism  and  Buddhism,  but  neither  of  these 
has  a  strong  hold  upon  the  people,  or  awakens  deep  re- 
ligious feeling.  Xowhere  have  I  seen  the  manifestations 
of  reverence,  or  any  thing  approaching  profound  worship. 
Even  their  temples  are  far  from  being  accounted  sacred. 
They  are  often  made  places  of  entertainment  and  of  con- 
tinued residence  for  strangers.  The  first  Protestant  mis- 
sionaries, on  coming  to  Japan,  had  a  temple  assigned  them 
as  their  home,  and  occupied  it  for  a  long  period.  When 
w^e  entered  the  temples  at  Yeddo  we  were  invariably  fol- 
lowed by  a  curious  crowd,  but  no  one  made  a  sign  of  pros- 
tration, or  engaged  in  any  act  of  worship,  or  exhibited  any 
respect  for  the  place  more  than  for  an  ordinary  building. 


UKIIEAIUNG. 


JAPAN  AND  THE  JAPANESE.  123 

Sliintooism  (called  also  Sinsyuism)  was  the  ancient  faith 
of  the  country.  Its  hierarchy  consists  of  the  Mikado,  two 
ecclesiastical  judges,  and  the  priesthood,  which  comprises 
also  the  monks.  The  temples  are  usually  on  elevated  pla- 
ces, or  surrounded  with  trees  (the  "  high  places"  and  "  green 
trees"  of  idolatry  mentioned  in  the  ancient  Scriptures). 
They  have  no  idols  in  the  temples ;  on  the  altar  stands  a 
mirror,  which  is  regarded  as  an  emblem  of  the  purity  re- 
quired in  the  worshipers,  and  as  requiring  sincerity  of  wor- 
ship. The  form  of  worship  is  simple :  first,  washing  in  the 
sacred  font ;  then  praying  before  the  mirror  to  the  great 
Sun-goddess,  making  an  offering  of  money  or  rice,  or  its 
equivalent ;  and  last,  striking  the  bell,  to  signify  to  the  god- 
dess that  the  worship  is  over.  The  bells  connected  with 
the  temples  are  large,  and  are  usually  hung  near  the  ground, 
where  they  can  be  easily  struck.  The  precepts  of  the  Shin- 
too  religion  are  summed  up  as  follows :  1.  Inward  purity 
of  heart ;  2,  Abstinence  from  whatever  makes  one  impure  ; 
3.  Observance  of  the  festivals  and  holy  days  ;  4.  Pilgrim- 
ages to  holy  places,  which  are  often  on  high  mountains. 
The  Mikado  being  the  head  of  this  religion,  it  has  become 
the  established  form  since  the  revolution,  and  the  govern- 
ment has  even  undertaken  a  sort  of  crusade  against  the 
idols  which  are  in  use  in  other  temples  and  worship. 

Buddhism  was  introduced  in  the  sixth  century,  and  made 
great  progress,  running  an  almost  equal  race  with  the  old 
form,  but  it  has  been  greatly  modified  both  as  to  faith  and 
the  forms  of  worship.  In  Japan,  as  in  China,  Buddhism  in 
many  of  its  forms  of  worship  is  strikingly  similar  to  Ro- 
manism, and  in  looking  at  the  monks  or  priests  in  their  pro- 
cessional march  around  the  temple,  and  in  listening  to  their 
monotonous  chants,  I  could  almost  believe  myself  in  a  Ro- 
man Catholic  church. 

Confucianism,  an  importation  fi-om  China,  is  very  prev- 
alent, but  it  scarcely  exists  as  a  distinct  form  of  religion. 
It  is  a  sort  of  fashionable  or  refined  infidehty,  rather  exert- 
ing a  silent  influence  over  the  minds  of  the  higher  classes 


124:  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

tliau  having  a  place  as  an  organized  faith  or  form  of  wor- 
ship. 

Nominal  Christianity  in  Japan  had  its  origin  in  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  missions  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  tragic 
sequel  to  its  introduction  and  its  spread  by  the  Jesuits  is  a 
chapter  in  the  history  of  the  country  of  the  deepest  interest. 
Like  all  the  propagandism  of  Rome,  the  history  is  as  much 
political  as  religious.  PojDery  has  ever  had  more  of  the 
worldly  than  of  the  spiritual  element — more  love  of  power 
than  of  souls,  and  this  was,  and  still  is,  manifested  in  Japan 
as  elsewhere.  The  Jesuits  are  still  at  work,  and  here  as 
elsewhere  they  stir  up  the  hostility  of  the  government 
against  them.  They  are  chiefly  responsible  for  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  government  to  Christianity.  One  of  the  most 
interesting  and  encouraging  facts  connected  with  the  re- 
ligious prospects  of  Japan  is  that  the  government  has  in- 
vited nearly  every  Protestant  missionary  in  the  islands  to 
enter  its  service  for  the  education  of  the  young  men  of  the 
country.  Immediately  after  the  accomplishment  of  the 
late  revolution,  the  new  government  of  the  Mikado  estab- 
lished a  department  of  public  instruction,  placing  at  the 
head  of  the  department  one  of  the  princes  of  the  empire, 
who  ranks  with  the  ministei-s  of  Foreign  Affairs,  of  War, 
Finance,  etc.  An  appropriation  of  50,000  kokus  of  rice 
(about  $250,000)  a  year  is  made  to  meet  the  expenses,  which 
is  distributed  among  several  institutions  located  in  different 
cities.  The  principal  college  (known  as  the  Reforming  or 
Progressive  College)  is  at  Yeddo,  with  450  pupils,  and  the 
Rev.  G.  F.Yerbeck,  the  American  missionary,  has  been  call- 
ed to  the  direction  of  English  instruction,  more  than  half 
the  pupils  being  under  his  care.  He  resides  at  Yeddo,  in  a 
house  provided  by  the  government,  has  a  liberal  salary,  and 
is  provided  with  a  guard  of  soldiers,  who  attend  him  wlier- 
ever  he  goes,  in  or  out  of  the  city.  Dr.  Brown,  Dr.  Hep- 
burn, and  others  have  been  uro-ed  to  eno-ao-e  in  the  same 
service. 

Every  thing  connected  with  Japan,  and  especially  with 


JAPAN  AND  THE  JAPANESE.  ]^25 

the  government,  partakes  more  or  less  of  mjsteiy,  and  noth- 
ing moi'e  than  the  attitude  of  the  government  toward  Chris- 
tianity— issuing  edicts  forbidding  tlie  people  to  embrace  it, 
posting  these  edicts  all  over  the  country,  and  at  the  same 
time  calling  into  its  service,  for  the  education  of  the  youth 
of  the  higher  classes.  Christian  missionaries  who  have  come 
to  the  country  with  the  avowed  object  of  laboring  for  the 
conversion  of  the  Japanese  to  Christ,  and  at  the  same  time 
leaving  them  wholly  untrammeled  as  to  what  they  shall 
teach.  But,  with  all  that  is  mysterious  or  unfavorable, 
there  is  much  to  encourage  hope  in  regard  to  the  future  of 
the  country.  The  growing  disposition  to  conform  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  government  to  the  American  model, 
and  to  introduce  American  science  and  arts ;  the  increas- 
ing intercourse,  official  and  social,  with  the  United  States  ; 
the  sending  of  so  many  youth  to  be  educated  in  the  United 
States  under  the  influence  of  our  Christian  institutions,  and 
the  calling  into  the  public  service  at  home  of  so  many  Prot- 
estant Christian  teachers,  are  remarkable  signs  which  mav 
well  inspire  hope. 


126 


ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 


VIEW   IN   THE   INLAND  SEA. 


^III. 


INLAND  SEA  OF  JAPAN. 

T?iE  most  beautiful  sea-voyage  in  the  world  is  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Inland  Sea  of  Japan.  Between  three  of  the 
four  largest  islands — Niphon,  Kiusiu,  and  Sikoke — there  is 
an  expanse  of  water  five  hundred  miles  in  extent  from 
east  to  west,  and  varying  greatly  in  breadth,  connected  at 
different  points  with  the  ocean,  but  forming  a  great  land- 
locked sea.  The  name,  like  most  Japanese  names,  is  singu- 
larly beautiful — Suwonada.  Into  this  wide  expanse  have 
been  sprinkled  more  than  three  thousand  islands,  which,  by 
volcanic  action,  have  been  moulded  into  all  the  forms  of 
beauty  imaginable.  Some  of  them  are  lofty  cones,  rising 
directly  from  the  water  to  the  height  of  several  hundred 
feet.  One  of  these  cones  I  found,  by  referring  to  the  ship's 
chart  as  we  were  passing  it,  is  nine  hundi-ed  feet  high. 
Others  are  rounded  off  with  more  variety  of  outline,  and 
stretch  away  for  miles  with  constantly  changing  profiles, 


INLAND  SEA  OF  JAPAN.  127 

and  with  shores,  and  hill-sides,  and  valleys  as  green  as  an 
emerald.  I  have  found  nothing  to  compare  with  it  in  any 
other  sea,  and  this  is  the  testimony  of  every  traveler  that 
I  have  met  who  has  made  the  passage.  We  were  two  days 
and  one  night — a  bright,  beautiful,  moonlight  night — in 
steaming  through  the  sea,  and,  as  I  recall  the  voyage,  the 
scene  rises  up  before  me  like  the  vision  of  some  fairy 
scene.  During  the  whole  passage  the  water  had  scarcely 
a  ripple  upon  its  surface,  and  an  ever-changing  panorama 
of  green  islands,  and  narrowing  straits,  and  expanding 
bays,  and  picturescjue  landscapes,  hills  and  valleys,  with 
cities  scattered  along  the  shore,  rolled  by  us  with  constant- 
ly varying  beauty. 

This  sea  lies  in  the  direct  route  from  Yokohama  to  the 
north  of  China,  whither  we  were  bound.  Passengers  for 
Hong  Kong  go  by  the  steamer  we  had  left,  which,  after 
touching  at  Yokohama,  lays  its  course  south  of  the  large 
islands.  A  corresponding  steamer  takes  the  passengers 
who  are  bound  for  Shanghai,  and  passes  through  the  In- 
land Sea,  stopping  for  a  day  at  each  of  the  ports  of  Iliogo 
and  Nagasaki,  and  so  arranging  the  time  of  leaving  these 
ports  as  to  have  the  finest  parts  of  the  voyage  by  daylight. 
After  we  had  completed  our  stay  of  two  weeks  at  Yokoha- 
ma, we  took  the  steamer  Costa  Rica,  bound  for  Shanghai. 
Sailing  down  the  Gulf  of  Yeddo,  out  into  the  open  sea,  we 
coasted  for  a  day  along  the  green  shores  of  Niphon,  and 
the  second  evening  entered  the  Inland  Sea  by  the  south, 
the  rolling  billows  at  once  subsiding  and  leaving  us  to  en- 
joy a  night's  repose.  Early  the  next  morning  we  anchored 
in  the  harbor  of  Iliogo,  one  of  the  open  ports,  and  the  most 
beautifully  situated  town  in  Japan.  Osaka,  of  which  Ili- 
ogo is  in  reahty  the  port,  is  fifteen  miles  distant,  and  is  the 
site  of  the  fortified  castle  of  the  Tycoons,  destroyed  by  fire 
when  the  Tycoon  left  it  in  the  late  revolution.  It  is  a  citv 
of  great  wealth,  its  silk-houses  surpassing  those  of  any  oth- 
er city  of  the  empire.  The  morning  was  rainy,  and  we  did 
not  go  to  Osaka  to  spend  the  day,  as  we  had  intended ;  but 


128 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


i;-.NXEEi:NG   THE   1:<LA^D   SKA. 


the  clouds  soon  cleared  off,  and  we  went  ashore  at  Iliogo  to 
enjoy  the  hospitality  of  Colonel  Stewart,  the  United  States 
consul,  and  to  make  an  excursion  to  a  cascade  in  a  cleft  far 
up  the  mountain.  Colonel  Stewart  was  occupying  the  res- 
idence and  gi'ounds  which  formerly  belonged  to  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  place,  and  it  was  enough  to  verify  the  visions 
of  the  Arabian  Xights  just  to  enter  the  grounds.  It  is  in 
the  heart  of  the  Japanese  town,  but  so  arranged  that,  on  en- 
tering the  gate,  '■''Presto,  agratnento,  change^''  and  you  find 
3'ourself  apparently  a  thousand  miles  from  any  other  habi- 
tation, in  some  new  creation.  Bamboo  and  plantain  groves 
surround  you ;  a  lotus  pond,  covered  with  magnificent 
leaves,  and  alive  with  large  goldfish ;  grottoes  and  shaded 
walks  invite  you  to  forget  the  outer  world,  which  is  ex- 
cluded by  a  high  wall  and  by  dense  shade. 

Lea^■ing  this  beautiful  spot,  we  mounted  the  horses  and 
made  the  ascent  of  the  mountain,  havino;  a  view  not  onlv 
of  the  falls,  but  of  the  extended  rice  plains  before  us,  of 
the  magnificent  harbor,  and  of  Osaka,  with  the  fine  sur- 
rounding country  in  the  distance.  Hiogo  gives  promise  of 
becoming  an  important  place  in  the  commerce  of  Japan. 
It  certainly  has  great  attractions  as  a  residence. 


INLAND  SEA  OF  JAPAN.  129 

At  four  o'clock  the  next  morning  tlie  sliip's  gun  resound- 
ed through  the  harbor,  reverberating  among  the  mountains 
which  overlook  the  town,  and  at  five  we  weighed  anchor 
and  were  soon  steaming  through  the  beautiful  sea.  All 
day  long  our  course  lay  through  islands  succeeding  islands, 
all  of  which  seemed  as  smooth  as  if  shapen  by  hand,  round- 
ed off  or  carved  in  graceful  shapes,  and  clothed  with  the 
velvety  green  of  Jaj^an,  making  the  passage  one  of  un- 
broken beautv.  In  the  afternoon  we  sailed  along  a  shore 
on  wliich  the  Tokaido — the  imperial  highway — lined  with 
double  rows  of  trees,  wound  along,  over  hill  and  dale,  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  The  day  was  clear  and  calm, 
and  as  it  drew  near  its  close  the  sun  poured  a  flood  of 
rosy  and  purple  light  over  islands  and  sea — such  a  light  as 
painters  put  upon  canvas  when  they  are  thought  to  exag- 
gerate. The  evening,  with  a  bright  moon,  was  equally 
beautiful,  but  we  had  to  fill  out  the  landscapes  in  imagina- 
tion, and  when  we  retired  we  had  passed  again  into  the 
open  sea. 

We  rose  next  morning  at  six,  in  time  to  see  the  gates  of 
the  East  opened,  the  same  flood  of  purple  light  pouring 
over  the  mountains  as  we  were  entering  the  Straits  of 
Simoni-saki,  the  most  beautiful  passage  of  the  two  days' 
sail.  Islands,  with  charming  little  bays,  were  around  us, 
the  country  imder  more  perfect  cultivation  than  any  por- 
tion of  the  coast  that  we  had  seen,  the  terraces  running  far 
up  the  hill-sides,  and  trees  and  shrubbery  indicating  the 
taste  of  the  inhabitants.  On  either  side  of  this  sti*ait  was 
a  large  city,  well  fortified.  Two  war-steamers,  oflicered, 
engineered,  and  manned  by  Japanese,  lay  at  anchor  in  the 
harbor,  while  great  numbers  of  sailing  vessels  were  bound 
hither  and  thither.  All  that  day  we  had  the  same  calm 
sea  and  fine  weather,  with  the  constantly-shifting  panorama 
of  islands,  many  of  them  not  more  than  an  acre  in  extent, 
but  stretching  themselves  up  in  all  sorts  of  beautiful  shapes. 
The  shores  were  so  bold  that  a  vessel  can  almost  sail  along 
and  touch  the  sides  without  touchino;  bottom.     The  Inland 

I 


130 


AROUND  TEE  WORLD. 


Sea  of  Japan  is  said,  I  know  not  on  what  authority,  to 
liave  the  deepest  soundings  of  any  water  on  the  globe. 
Just  at  dusk  we  came  upon  the  arched  rock,  a  small  island 
jutting  out  from  the  sea,  united  at  the  top,  but  with  a  wide 
arch  some  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  height,  under  wliich  boats 
can  sail  with  ease.  As  the  last  rays  of  daylight  were  van- 
ishing, we  entered  the  harbor  of  Nagasaki,  on  the  extreme 
west  of  Japan,  which  is  completely  concealed  from  the  sea, 
running  back  around  high  headlands.  At  the  mouth  of 
the  harbor  lies  an  island  called  by  the  Japanese  Takaboko, 
and  by  the  Dutch  Pappenberg,  which  has  a  melancholy 


PAPPEUBEKG  ISLAND. 


history.  At  the  close  of  the  sixteentli  century,  when  the 
introduction  of  Christianity  by  the  Jesuits  excited  the  ap- 
prehension of  the  Japanese  government,  and  the  order  was 
given  to  exterminate  the  foreign  religion  by  a  bloody  per- 
secution, many  thousands  of  Christians  fled  to  this  islaud 
for  a  last  refuge.     They  were  pursued  by  tlie  authorities, 


INLAND  SEA  OF  JAPAN.  y^^ 

and  those  who  escaped  the  sword  were  driven  into  the  sea 
and  perished  in  the  waters.  The  precipice  over  which 
they  were  driven  is  still  pointed  out.  These  were  the  mar- 
tyrs who  were  recently  canonized,  en  masse,  at  Rome,  whose 
fate  forms  one  of  the  fearful  chapters  of  Japanese  history. 

Our  ship  lay  for  two  nights  and  a  day  in  the  harbor  of 
Nagasaki,  affording  us  an  opportunity  to  visit  the  town,  and 
to  enjoy  the  beautiful  scenery,  which,  were  it  not  on  such  a 
limited  scale,  would  rival  the  grandeur  of  Hiogo.  The 
harbor,  and  the  mountains  which  inclose  it  on  all  sides  save 
the  narrow  entrance,  form  a  perfect  amphitheatre,  the  sides 
rising  gradually,  and,  as  it  were,  by  tiers  of  seats  or  steps, 
to  a  great  height,  the  beauty  of  the  sight  being  diversified 
by  the  Japanese  town,  the  foreign  settlement,  the  temples, 
and  other  edifices.  Notwithstanding  the  multiplied  charm- 
ing features  of  the  scene,  we  fancied  that  those  who  contin- 
ued to  reside  here  must,  ere  long,  feel  secluded  from  the 
rest  of  the  world  by  the  very  walls  of  green  which,  to  a' 
stranger,  are  so  lovely. 

About  midnight  the  last  night  of  our  stay,  I  heard  a 
whistling  in  the  rigging  of  our  ship,  which  assured  me  that 
the  calm  we  had  enjoyed  for  so  many  days  preceded,  if  it 
did  not  presage,  a  storm ;  and  I  was  not  disappointed.  Soon 
after  daylight  we  steamed  out  of  the  quiet  and  well-pro- 
tected harbor  into  the  Eastern  China  Sea,  only  to  meet  the 
northeast  monsoon,  which  for  eighteen  hours  blew  wdth 
fearful  violence.  Our  ship  was  not  a  small  one  (some  2000 
tons),  but  she  was  tossed  upon  the  uneasy  sea  as  a  thing  of 
no  account.  \V'e  prepared  ourselves  as  well  as  we  could 
to  withstand  the  blast,  but  we  could  not  long  keep  the 
deck,  and  were  forced  to  go  below.  The  ladies  w^ere  com- 
pelled to  take  their  berths,  and  even  there  they  were  not 
safe.  One  of  them,  for  whom  I  can  testify,  by  a  lurch  of 
the  ship,  which  threatened  to  roll  entirely  over,  was  tossed 
from  her  berth  to  the  opposite  side  of  a  wide  state-room, 
when  I  sent  for  the  ship's  carpenter  and  had  her  boarded 
up  to  prevent  her  being  dashed  to  pieces.     At  short  inter- 


132  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

vals,  all  day  long,  one  crash  after  another  \vas  heard  as  a 
table  broke  loose  or  the  steward's  crockery  went  into  a 
heap.  I  was  lying  on  the  locker  in  the  main  cabin  when 
a  heav^  swell  tossed  the  ship  upon  her  side,  throwing  the 
large  marble  slab  of  the  heater  from  its  fastenings.  It 
struck  near  me  on  the  floor,  and  was  dashed  into  a  dozen 
pieces.  Though  in  a  stanch  and  mighty  ship,  we  felt,  as 
we  had  not  liad  occasion  to  feel  before,  how  weak  are  the 
proudest  works  of  man  in  contending  with  the  breath  of 
the  Almighty.  We  could  only  commit  ourselves  to  His 
care  during  the  long,  dark  night,  while  the  tempest  raged 
and  the  great  waves  tossed  us  up  and  down.  With  the 
morning  came  a  change.  Early  in  the  day  we  entered 
the  broad  mouth  of  the  Yanktse-kiang  River,  and  quietly 
steamed  toward  Shanghai,  thankful  that  we  had  reached 
another  continent  in  safety,  and  that  for  a  little  while  our 
tossings  upon  the  deep  were  over.  A  more  perfect  contrast 
than  our  expei-ience  upon  the  Inland  Sea  of  Japan  and  that 
upon  the  Eastern  China  Sea  could  not  well  be  imagined. 


IX. 

SHANGHAI  TO  HONG  KONG. 


We  entered  the  Yanktse  River,  as  the  Amazon  is  cross- 
ed, far  out  at  sea.  Long  before  we  were  in  sight  of  the 
low  shores  the  water  became  as  yellow  as  that  of  the  Tiber, 
taking  its  color  from  the  soil  of  the  coimtry,  which  is  con- 
stantly washing  down  the  river,  filling  up  the  wide  mouth, 
and  making  the  navigation  more  and  more  difficult.  One 
shore  only  was  visible  at  first,  and  then  the  low  sand-banks 
of  the  opposite  shore  appeared,  but  nowhere  was  any  eleva- 
tion in  sight.  The  whole  region  is  upon  a  level  with  the 
sea,  and  is  protected  against  an  occasional  overflow  by  em- 
bankments.    The  country  far  up  the  Yanktse  was  under 


SHANGHAI  TO  HONG  KONG. 


13J 


water,  the  river  spreading  itself  out  in  immense  lakes. 
Thousands  of  Hves  had  been  lost  by  drowning,  and  by  the 
loss  of  food  which  such  a  calamity  always  occasions  in  this 
densely  populated  country. 

We  soon  entered  the  Woosung,  a  small  river  on  which 
Shanghai  is  situated,  about  twelve  miles  from  its  mouth. 
At  the  entrance  is  a  long  range  of  earthworks — one  of  the 
supposed  impregnable  forts  which  the  Chinese,  in  their 
self-sufficiency  and  contempt  of  foreigners,  erected  at  vari- 
ous points,  and  which  have  proved  equally  efficient  with 
the  paper  fortifications  recommended  in  Sahnagundi.  They 
were  easily  battered  to  pieces  by  the  English  fleet  in  the 
war  of  1841.  Xear  these  fortifications  was  a  large  fleet  of 
Chinese  war-junks,  built,  doubtless,  after  the  model  that 
was  most  approved  a  thousand  years  ago.  The  prow  of 
each  vessel  was  provided  with  two  large  eyes,  one  on  each 
side,  to  enable  the  ship  to  see  its  course  in  a  dark  night. 
Without  these  eyes  a  vessel  is  considered  as  unsafe  as  a 
Ijlind  man  walking  the  streets  of  a  strange  city.  The"  ves- 
sels have  great  high  poops,  ornamented  with  carvings  and 


CHINESE   TKADI.SG   JUNK. 


1^34  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

other  fixtures,  making  them  a  curiosity  to  a  stranger  jnst 
coming  into  the  empire.  The  junk  which  visited  the  har- 
bor of  New  York  many  years  ago  was  a  fair  type  of  the 
swarms  which  fill  the  rivers  of  China,  although  not  so  high- 
ly ornamented  as  many  I  have  seen.  These  junks  are  no 
mean  sea-boats.  They  are  exceedingly  clumsy  looking 
above  water,  but  their  keels  are  often  beautiful  models, 
and  they  ride  out  a  storm  in  safety  when  many  a  fine  yacht 
would  go  down. 

Shanghai  is  one  of  the  four  ports  first  opened  b}'-  the 
treaty  of  1842.  It  was  little  visited  by  foreigners  previous 
to  that  time,  but,  being  admirably  situated  to  secure  the 
commerce  of  the  great  valley  of  the  Yanktse  and  of  the 
whole  of  the  north  of  China,  it  sprang  at  once  into  impor- 
tance, and  has  become  the  chief  foreign  commercial  city  of 
the  empire.  Canton  has  lost  its  foi-mer  pre-eminence,  and 
Hong  Kong  alone  rivals  this  city  of  the  north.  The  old 
Chinese  city  of  Shanghai,  which  is  near  the  foreign  settle- 
ment, one  of  the  large  towns  of  China,  is  inclosed  within 
a  high  wall,  which  in  the  growth  of  the  place  proved  insuf- 
ficient to  contain  the  population,  and  they  have  spread 
themselves  over  the  surrounding  plain.  It  was  captured 
by  the  Taeping  rebels  in  1853,  and  held  until  1855,  when 
they  retreated  from  this  part  of  the  country.  During  sev- 
eral subsequent  years,  while  the  rebels  were  overrunning 
the  surrounding  region,  there  was  a  large  influx  of  people, 
who  came  to  this  city  for  protection  and  residence,  and  it 
enjoyed  great  prosperity  in  consequence.  Foreigners  who 
held  the  land  in  the  vicinity  of  the  new  town  made  im- 
mense fortunes  on  paper  ;  but  after  the  rebellion  was  quell- 
ed, and  the  Chinese  who  had  come  to  Shanghai  returned 
to  their  homes,  a  great  and  disastrous  revolution  occurred, 
and  the  fortunes  which  had  been  made  in  haste  vanished 
still  more  rapidly.  The  city  has  not  entirely  recovered 
from  this  shock,  and,  in  common  with  the  other  ports,  it  is 
suffering  from  the  general  depression  of  the  China  trade. 
The  foreign  settlement  makes  a  fine  appearance  as  we 


SHANGHAI  TO  HONG  KONG.  135 

approach  it  by  water.  It  stretches  along  the  river  nearly 
two  miles,  being  divided  into  what  are  called  the  American, 
Eno-lish,  and  French  settlements,  the  two  former  being  un- 
der  one  municipality,  and  the  latter  under  French  rule.  A 
wide  "  bund"  or  quay,  which  serves  equally  as  a  place  of 
commerce,  promenade,  and  drive,  occupies  the  river  front, 
the  finest  buildings  of  the  city— the  hongs  of  merchants 
and  public  buildings  —  being  situated  on  the  bund,  and 
giving  a  very  imposing  appearance  to  the  place.  Several 
streets  run  back  from  the  river,  and  contain  numerous  fine 
residences  and  business  houses.  The  climate  is  very  trying 
in  winter.  The  malaria  of  the  low  country  was  formerly 
productive  of  fevers,  but  at  great  expense  a  system  of  drain- 
age and  of  street  construction  was  carried  out,  by  which  the 
health  of  the  place  has  been  improved.  The  cost  of  these 
improvements  was  so  great  that  the  Chinese  say  Shanghai 
is  paved  with  dollars. 

The  first  thing  that  ari-ests  a  ti'aveler's  attention  on  land- 
ing is  the  novel  mode  of  conveyance  peculiar  to  Shanghai. 
The  popular  carriage  is  a  wheelbarrow.  The  streets  of  the 
old  city  are  narrow  and  rough,  and  so  much  broken  up  by 
bridges  that  this  vehicle  can  not  be  used  ;  but  in  the  foreign 
settlement  you  find  the  Chinese  men  and  women  every 
where  riding  on  wheelbarrows.  The  wheel  is  much  larger 
than  those  in  use  in  our  country,  and  the  passengers  are 
seated  one  on  each  side  of  it.  When  two  are  riding,  if 
they  are  of  equal  weight,  the  carriage  is  evenly  balanced ; 
but  when  two  persons  of  unequal  weight  are  carried,  or 
only  one,  the  wheel  is  turned  up  at  an  angle,  so  that  the 
weight  shall  come  upon  the  point  in  its  circumference  that 
strikes  the  ground.  This,  I  think,  must  be  a  modern  inven- 
tion or  adaptation,  for  no  real  Chinese  city  that  I  have  seen 
will  admit  of  its  being  used,  and  the  roads  leading  into  the 
country  are  not  favorable  for  such  a  mode  of  conveyance, 
especially  in  wet  weather. 

The  Chinese  part  of  the  town  has  a  population  of  nearly 
a  million,  including  that  portion  built  around  the  walls  for 


136  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 

want  of  room  within.  During  the  rebellion  the  number 
was  almost  twice  as  great.  The  city  proper  is  entered  by 
several  gates,  which  are  narrow  passages,  admitting  only 
what  goes  on  foot.  Every  thing  in  the  shape  of  merchan- 
dise, and  every  stone  and  timber  for  building,  is  carried  in 
on  the  shoulders  of  coolies,  as  in  most  parts  of  the  East. 
The  burdens  which  these  coolies  carry  suspended  between 
them  by  a  bamboo  pole  are  sometimes  enormous,  but  they 
stand  up  manfully  under  them,  and  shout  continually  as 
the}'  go  through  the  throng  to  those  ahead  to  make  way  for 
them.  All  classes  in  the  crow^ded  city  show  the  utmost 
consideration  for  each  other.  The  streets  of  the  city  are 
never  more  than  six  or  seven  feet  wide,  and  yet  through 
these  narrow  passages  a  crowd  is  constantly  surging,  with- 
out ever  coming  in  contact  or  interfering  with  each  other's 
burden  or  business. 

The  city  within  the  walls  is  exceedingly  filthy,  so  much 
so  that  I  would  not  think  of  taking  a  lady  into  it,  not  even 
in  a  sedan  chair,  the  ordinary  mode  of  conveyance  for  for- 
eigners ;  for,  although  she  might  be  protected  from  coming 
in  contact  with  its  filth,  few  have  the  strength  of  constitu- 
tion to  endure  the  smells  of  the  place.  I  have  more  than 
once  tested  the  "  two-and-seventy  stenches"  in  the  streets  of 
Cologne  which  Coleridge  enumerates,  but  they  are  outnum- 
bered and  overpowered  in  the  streets  of  almost  any  Chinese 
citv.  The  little  canals  which  run  throns'h  the  town  are  the 
most  disgusting  of  all,  and  it  is  a  mystery  how  human  be- 
ings can  swarm  in  such  a  place  and  human  life  continue. 
I  should  imagine  that  the  heat  of  every  summer  would 
bring  a  pestilence,  and  the  place  be  depopulated.  But  the 
Chinese  not  only  live,  they  multiply  and  thrive  amid  these 
elements  of  disease  and  deatli. 

One  will  not  be  inclined  to  linger  long  in  his  walks 
through  the  native  city,  although  he  may  see  much  at  any 
step  that  is  botli  novel  and  interesting.  The  Chinese  cos- 
tumes, the  Chinese  shops,  the  Chinese  sights  and  smells  of 
all  kinds,  are  perfectly  new,  and  the  most  of  them,  as  he 


SHANGHAI  TO  HONG  KONG. 


137 


has  never  met  with  them  before,  he  will  never  wish  to  meet 


agam. 


At  several  points  as  1  was  passing  along  I  came  upon 
police-stations,  where  criminals  of  different  grades  were 
undergoing  different  degrees  of  punishment.  Some  were 
simply  confined  in  large  cages,  the  sport  of  the  passers-by. 
Others  wore  immense  collars  made  of  two  wide  boards 
brought  together  at  their  edges,  with  a  hole  large  enough 
for  the  neck.  The  collar  is  so  wide  that  the  prisoner  can 
not  reach  his  head  with  his  hands,  and  is  dependent  upon 
his  friends  or  upon  charity  not  only  for  his  food,  but  for 
getting  it  to  his  mouth. 
Others  had  their  heads  jut- 
ting out  of  the  tops  of  cages 
which  were  so  high  that 
they  could  not  sit  down,  and 
so  low  that  they  could  not 
stand  up,  or  in  which  they 
stood  on  tip-toe,  and  they 
were  condenmed  to  pass 
days  and  nights  in  this  un- 
comfortable and  even  tor- 
turing position. 

A  short  time  before,  sev- 
eral criminals  who  had  been 
guilty  of  a  capital  offense 
were  condemned  to  death, 
and  placed  in  these  cages, 
where  they  died  from  starv- 
ation before  the  eyes  of  the 
people,  no  one  being  al- 
lowed to  furnish  them  with  food.  Torture,  as  I  subse- 
quently learned  by  witnessing  it  at  Canton,  enters  largely 
into  the  idea  of  punishment  among  the  Chinese,  and  is 
freely  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  extorting  confession 
from  the  accused. 

There  is  very  little  to  detain  an  ordinary  traveler  in 


CHINESE   PITNISHMENT. 


138  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

Shanghai.  Its  sights,  if  there  are  any,  are  soon  seen.  Xo 
one  will  wish  to  make  more  than  a  passing  visit  to  the  Chi- 
nese city,  and  the  foreign  part  derives  its  only  importance 
from  its  commerce.  The  town  was  all  agog  while  I  was 
there  with  the  visit  of  the  Duke  of  Edinljurg,  Prince  Al- 
fred of  Enofland.  One  of  the  entertainments  was  an  inter- 
national  boat-race  between  four-oared  boats — American, 
English,  Scotch,  and  German.  It  was  no  little  gratification 
to  us,  as  Americans,  to  join  in  the  rousing  cheers  which 
welcomed  the  Stars  and  Stripes  as  they  came  in  four 
lengtlis  ahead  of  all  competitors,  and  our  pleasure  was  all 
the  more  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  the  victors  were  friends 
whose  hospitalities  we  were  enjoying  at  the  house  of  Oli- 
pliant  &  Co. 

It  was  too  late  in  the  season  to  visit  Pekin  aud  the  great 
wall  of  China.  AVe  were  advised  not  to  undertake  the 
journey,  as  we  might  be  frozen  up,  which  would  make  a 
complete  derangement  of  our  plans  of  travel  for  the  year 
to  come.  We  regretted  not  being  able  to  reach  the  cap- 
ital of  the  Flowery  Kingdom,  but  it  is  just  as  well  to  see 
a  few  Chinese  cities  as  many.  With  the  exception  of  Pe- 
kin, they  are  all  built  pretty  much  after  the  same  unin- 
teresting model,  the  chief  difference  consisting  in  the  de- 
grees of  filth.  There  is  less  of  the  beautiful  in  scenery 
in  the  country  at  large  than  in  almost  any  country  I  have 
visited. 

Before  reaching  Shanghai  we  had  thought  seriously  of 
going  up  the  Yanktse-kiang  Kiver  as  far  as  Kang-kow,  six 
hundred  miles,  and  we  found  sjjlendid  American-built 
steamers,  with  luxurious  accommodations,  makino-  regular 
trips.  But  there  is  little  to  be  seen.  The  country,  the 
whole  distance,  is  flat  and  uninteresting,  and  much  of  it  at 
that  time  was  overflowed  with  water. 

Nankin,  which  has  always  been  famous  in  the  geograph- 
ical, if  not  the  historical  records  of  China,  is  about  two 
lumdred  miles  above  Shanghai,  but  we  were  assured  that 
we  should  have  great  difficultv  in  landing;  and  reachino- 


SHANGHAI  TO  HONG  KONG. 


139 


the  city,  and  that  when  we  got  there  we  should  find  it  a 
heap  of  ruins,  very  much  as  it  was  left  by  the  Taeping 
rebels.  Not  a  tile  of  the  famous  Porcelain  Tower  re- 
mains excepting  those  which  are  manufactured  for  sale  as 
relics.  Many  of  the  great  cities  of  the  empire  were  al- 
most wholly  destroyed  during  the  rebellion.  When  the 
rebel  army  occupied  a  town  they  used  it  for  fuel,  the  coun- 
try generally  being  destitute  of  timber,  and  in  this  way 
the  light  wooden  houses  disappeared,  as  by  a  general  con- 
flagration, in  the  hands  of  such  an  immense  host.  Some 
of  the  cities  are  rebuilt,  but  others  remain  a  desolation. 


CHINESE   TEMPLE. 


To  any  traveler  who  is  not  able  to  devote  much  time  to 
this  country,  I  would  recommend  a  trip  from  Shanghai  to 
Ningpo,  a  hundred  miles  distant,  which  is  reached  daily  or 
nightly  by  steamer,  and  then  to  Hang-chow,  farther  in  the 


140  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

interior,  wliicli  will  afford  an  opportunity  of  seeing  some 
of  the  iinest  scenery  in  this  part  of  China,  and  of  visiting 
two  of  its  most  interesting  cities.  He  can  then  take  the 
steamer  down  the  coast,  either  stopping  at  Foo-chow  and 
Amoy,  or  going  directly  to  Hong  Kong  and  Canton.  The 
approaches  to  Foo-chow  up  the  River  Min,  on  which  it  is 
situated,  are  very  picturesque,  but  the  city  itself  has  the 
reputation  of  being  the  filthiest  in  the  empire. 

Finding  the  Suwonada,  the  swiftest  and  finest  steamer 
on  the  coast,  ready  to  leave  for  Hong  Kong,  and  having 
an  invalid  in  my  company,  I  took  passage  for  Hong  Kong- 
direct,  intending  to  return  to  Amoy.  We  found  the  Suwo- 
nada every  thing  that  could  be  desired  in  navigating  this 
turbulent  China  Sea,  excepting  that  she  would  never  lie 
still,  and  when  afloat,  so  tempestuous  did  we  always  find 
these  waters  that  I  almost  fancied  the  rocky  islands,  if  not 
the  continent  itself,  must  be  tossing  up  and  down  with  the 
waves.  The  commander  of  the  ship.  Captain  Clark,  is  a 
graduate  of  Harvard  College,  a  thorough  seaman,  and  a 
perfect  gentleman.  Another  pleasure  in  sailing  in  her 
was  that  she  floated  the  Stars  and  Stripes  —  ever  a  wel- 
come sight,  and  most  so  when  farthest  from  home. 

"We  reached  Hong  Kong,  820  miles,  at  the  end  of  the 
third  day.  Hong  Kong  is  an  island  about  twenty -five 
miles  in  circumference,  an  English  possession,  taken  as  in- 
demnity in  one  of  the  wai'S,  and  ceded  to  Great  Britain  in 
184:1,  from  which  time  it  grew  rapidly  in  commercial  im- 
portance, until  its  rival,  Shanghai,  diverted  a  large  part  of 
the  China  trade.  Victoria  is  the  name  of  the  town,  al- 
though abroad  it  is  almost  invariably  spoken  of  as  Hong 
Kono;.  It  is  still  one  of  the  two  chief  foreio-n  cities  on  the 
coast,  and  is  visited,  probably,  by  more  ships  than  any  oth- 
er. It  is  a  sort  of  posting  station  for  the  whole  Eastern 
world,  ships  without  cargo  and  ships  without  orders  com- 
ing here  to  await  orders  from  their  owners.  Having  an 
English  governor,  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  an  English 
colony,  it  is  a  place  of  no  little  court  ceremony,  and  the 


SHANGHAI  TO  HONG  KONG. 


141 


social  distinctions  which  attach  even  to  the  most  petty 
governmental  dependencies  of  Great  Britain  are  peculiar- 
ly rife. 


IIOSG   KONG. 


There  is  scarcely  a  level  acre  npon  the  whole  island. 
Indeed,  the  only  spot  that  I  remember  to  have  seen  is  a 
cliarming  little  valley  about  a  mile  from  the  town,  which 
has  been  appropriated  to  a  race-course— the  several  cem- 
eteries, English,  Roman  Catholic,  and  Parsee,  occnpying 
the  rising  ground  around  the  race-course,  and  forming  a 
very  incongruous  combination  of  grave-yards  and  sport- 
ing-grounds. This  beautiful  spot  is  called  Happy  Yalley : 
whether  named  before  its  present  occupation,  or  for  what 
one  of  these  different  purposes  it  was  first  occupied,  I  have 
not  learned.  The  island  is  made  up  of  lofty  peaks,  one 
of  which,  Victoria  Peak,  overhanging  the  town,  and  from 
which  you  could  almost  throw  a  stone  into  the  streets,  is 
1825  feet  high.  The  view  from  the  peak  is  as  perfect  a 
panorama  as  that  from  the  Pighi ;  and  although  by  no 
means  so  extensive  nor  in  any  measure  so  magnificent. 


142  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

wanting  the  elements  of  grandeur  wliicli  abound  among 
the  Alps,  yet  it  is  a  splendid  view.  We  ascended  in  sedan 
chairs,  each  chair  carried  by  four  coolies,  and,  walking  and 
riding  bv  turns,  were  an  hour  and  five  minutes  in  reaching 
the  summit.  The  view  of  the  town  below ;  of  the  harbor 
with  its  shipping,  looking  like  miniature  craft ;  of  the  sur- 
rounding waters  and  islands,  abundantly  repays  for  the  ex- 
ertion and  expense.  The  city  is  built  along  the  harbor,  in 
terraces  rising  one  above  another,  until  the  upper  tier  is 
some  three  or  four  hundred  feet  in  height.  The  govern- 
or's residence  is  a  fine  mansion,  with  large  and  well-kept 
grounds.  Many  of  the  hongs  of  the  merchants  are  i^al- 
aces,  and  the  pubhc  buildings  would  do  honor  to  any  city. 
The  City  Hall,  just  completed  and  inaugurated  by  Prince 
Alfred,  who  arrived  two  or  three  days  after  we  reached 
Hong  Kong,  is  a  splendid  structure  situated  on  the  bund. 

The  o;overnor  has  established  a  system  of  schools  of  dif- 
ferent  grades  for  the  Chinese,  who  compose  by  far  the 
lai'gest  part  of  the  population,  and  it  is  well  administered. 
At  the  invitation  of  a  member  of  the  governor's  council, 
I  spent  a  morning  in  the  high  school,  and  witnessed,  with 
great  interest  and  pleasure,  the  evidences  given,  by  an  ex- 
tempore  examination,  of  the  progress  made  by  the  more 
advanced  Chinese,  not  only  in  the  elements  of  an  English 
education,  but  in  the  sciences.  I  saw  and  heard  enough 
to  satisfy  me  that  the  excuse  given  for  the  universal  cus- 
tom among  foreign  residents  of  talking  with  the  Chinese 
in  the  miserable  "  Pigeon"  English,  namely,  that  there  are 
many  vocal  sounds  in  English  which  they  can  not  utter,  is 
without  foundation.  There  is  not  a  letter  or  combination 
which  these  youth  had  not  mastered,  although,  of  course, 
with  some  foreio-n  accent.  The  Pi£i;eon  English  is  a  mon- 
grel  dialect,  probably  first  invented  by  the  Chinese  as  a 
substitute  for  English,  very  much  as  young  children  in- 
vent a  language  for  themselves  before  learning  to  speak  in 
the  dialect  of  older  persons.  It  has  been  perpetuated  by 
foreigners  for  the  sake  of  holdino;  conversation  with  the 


SHANGHAI  TO  HOXG  KOXG.  X43 

Chinese  who  have  adopted  it.  Pigeon  is  said  to  be  the 
nearest  approximation  that  the  Chmese  make  to  the  word 
business f  hence  Pigeon  English  means  business  English. 
It  is  an  mmecessarj  accommodation  to  the  natives,  who 
are  just  as  able  as  other  nations  to  acquire  the  sounds  of 
our  lano-uaije. 

The  following  version  of  "  My  name  is  Norval"  is  a  fair 
specimen  of  the  Pigeon  English.  It  needs  a  glossary  al- 
most as  much  as  real  Chinese. 

My  name  b'long  Norbal,  topside  that  Glampian  hillee 

i\Iy  fader,  you  sabee  my  fader,  raakee  pay  chow-chow  he  sheepoo 

He  smallo  heartee  man,  too  miichee  take  care  that  dolloo,  gola  ? 

So  fashion  he  wantchee  keepee  my,  counta  one  piecee  cliilo,  stop  he  own 

side. 
My  no  wantchee,  wantchee  long  that  largee  mandali,  go  knockee  alia  man  : 
Littee  teem.  Joss  pay  my  what  thing  my  fader  no  likee  pay. 
That  moom  last  nightee  teem  get  up  lonne,  alia  same  my  hat, 
No  got  full  up,  no  got  square ;  plenty  piecie 
That  lobbel  man,  too  muchee  qui-si,  alia  same  that  tiger. 
Chop-chop  come  down  side  that  hillee,  catchie  that  sheepoo,  long  that  cow- ; 
That  man,  custom  take  care,  too  muchee  quick  Inn  way. 
My  one  piecie  owne  spie  eye,  look  see  that  lallee-loon  man  ^yhat  side  he 

walkee. 
Hi-yah  !     Xo  good  chancie,  findie  he,  lun  catchie  my  flen  : 
Two  piecie  loon-choon  lun  catchie  that  lobbel  man !  he 
No  can  walkee  welly  quick,  he  pocket  too  muchee  full  up. 
So  fashion  knockee  he  largee. 

He  head  man  no  got  shutte  far 
My  knockie  he  head.     Hi-yah !     My  No.  1  stlong  man. 
Catchie  he  jacket,  long  he  tlousa,  gola  :     You  likee  look  see? 
My  go  puttee  on  just  now.     My  go  home,  largie  heart  just  now 
My  no  likee  take  care  that  sheepoo.     So  fashion  my  hear  you  hab  got  fightee 

this  side 
My  take  one  piecee  coolie,  come  you  conntlee.  come  helpie  you. 
He  heart  all  same  cow,  too  muchie  fear,  lun  awa}-. 
Masquie,  Joss  take  care  pay  my  come  you  housee. 

I  visited  the  Colonial  Prison,  where  more  than  four  hun- 
dred criminals  of  all  nations  were  confined,  and  have  never 
seen  a  penitentiary  more  neatly  kept,  or  apparently  under 
better  management.  Among  the  prisoners  were  several 
Chinese  women  who  had  been  condcted  of  child -stealing, 
a  very  common  crime.  The  boys  are  stolen  and  sold  for 
boatmen,  and  the  girls  either  for  boat-hands  or  for  the  broth- 
els, to  be  educated  for  a  life  of  infamy.  I  inquired  of  the 
superintendent  if  any  form  of  oath  was  administered  to 


144  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

the  Chinese  when  they  were  called  to  testify  in  the  courts, 
and  was  informed  that  none  was  used  in  cases  of  small  im- 
portance, but  that  in  graver  cases  they  swore  by  a  cock's 
liead.  The  cock  is  taken  to  a  joss-house  or  temple,  the 
head  cut  off  with  some  cei'emony,  and  on  this,  as  the  basis 
of  the  most  solemn  oath  that  is  administered,  a  Chinaman 
gives  his  testimony  in  an  English  court. 

I  can  not  refrain  from  copying  just  here  the  beautiful 
motto,  which  every  one  will  recognize  as  taken  from  the 
book  of  sacred  wisdom,  and  which  I  found  engraved  on 
the  stone  arch  in  front  of  the  post-office  at  Hong  Kong, 
than  wdiich  nothing  could  be  more  appropriate  in  this  dis- 
tant part  of  the  world :  "  As  cold  waters  to  a  thirsty  soul, 
so  is  good  news  fi-om  a  far  country." 


X. 

CANTON  AND  ITS  SIGHTS. 


It  is  not  long  since  Canton  was  all  of  China  to  the  out- 
side world.  For  two  centuries  before  the  opening  of  the 
treaty  ports  it  was  the  only  city  at  which  any  amount  of 
foreign  commerce  w^as  carried  on.  The  East  India  Com- 
pany established  a  factory  (the  name  for  a  place  of  busi- 
ness) at  this  point  as  early  as  1689,  and  the  representatives 
of  various  countries  followed  their  example  ;  planted  them- 
selves alongside  the  city  and  carried  on  traffic  with  the  peo- 
ple, without  being  permitted  to  enter  the  city  itself.  The 
foreign  factories,  so  celebrated  in  Eastern  commerce,  occu- 
pied a  wide  space  along  the  river,  just  under  the  walls  of 
the  city,  and  to  this  space  all  "  outside  barbarians"  were 
limited,  and  within  it  they  were,  at  one  time,  actually  con- 
fined as  prisoners,  living  in  no  little  terror  of  their  lives. 
It  is  only  within  the  last  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  that 
the  gates  of  the  city  have  been  opened  to  foreigners.     So 


CANTON  AND  ITS  SIGHTS. 


14o 


recently  as  1856,  the  Chinese,  becoming  exasperated  against 
all  foreigners,  in  the  incipiency  of  one  of  the  wars,  attack- 
ed the  factories,  pillaged  and  burnt  them,  making  the  once 
beautiful  collection  of  palaces  a  mere  heap  of  ruins.  The 
whole  city  was  soon  after  taken  possession  of  by  the  Brit- 
ish army  and  held  for  several  years,  since  which  time  the 
gates  have  been  open  to  all  from  every  country  who  choose 
to  enter. 

Canton  is  situated  on  the  Pearl  River,  ninety  miles  from 
Hong  Kong,  which  is  now  the  port  of  Canton,  for  scarcely 
a  vessel  goes  up  the  river.  The  business  of  the  place  and 
the  foreign  commerce  is  nearly  all  transacted  at  Hong 
Kong.  An  American  river  steamer  leaves  the  latter  place 
every  morning  at  eight  o'clock,  and  another  returns  each 
day  at  the  same  hour.  The  ftrst  half  of  the  distance,  in 
going  up,  is  through  a  wide  bay  interspersed  with  islands, 
but  with  nothing  striking  in  its  scenery. 

At  length  we  reach  what  are  called  the  Bogue  forts,  fa- 
mous in  the  China  wars.  They  are  extensive  fortifica- 
tions, and  by  the  Chinese  were  considered  impregnable, 
and  a  perfect  protection  against  all  vessels  that  might  at- 
tempt to  pass  up  the  river.  But  they  stood  no  chance  be- 
fore the  guns  of  the  British  fleet,  and  are  now  extensive 
lines  of  ruined  fortifications.  They  form  a  picturesque 
feature  of  the  landscape,  as  we  pass  between  them  through 
the  Tiger's  Mouth  (Boca  Tigre),  from  which  the  forts  took 
their  name. 

At  tliis  point  commences  all  that  is  attractive  on  the  voy- 
age up.  The  banks  of  the  Pearl  River  are  flat,  but  they 
are  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  covered  with  rice-fields 
and  plantations  of  bananas,  which  were  looking  green  and 
fresh,  and  added  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  shores.  Far- 
ther inland  were  rows  of  lychen  -  trees,  and  occasionally 
clusters  of  a  species  of  the  banian,  which  is  common  in 
tliis  part  of  China.  Xumerous  villages  could  be  seen  at  a 
distance  from  tlie  shore,  the  piratical  tendencies  of  the  Chi- 
nese forbidding  the  people  to  build  near  the  water,  except 

K 


146 


AROUyi)  THE  WORLD. 


iu  lai'ge  and  walled  cities.  In  every  \niage  one  or  more 
large  square  stone  buildings  towered  up  far  above  all  the 
ordinary  houses,  which  are  only  one  story  in  height.  These 
buildings,  a  striking  feature  in  all  southern  Chinese  towns, 
are  pawnbrokers'  establishments,  and  are  also  used  as  places 
of  deposit  for  valuable  articles  that  are  not  in  constant  use. 
The  owners  of  these  establishments  become  responsible  for 
the  safe  keeping  of  all  goods  and  valuables  intrusted  to 
them,  the  people  having  generally  no  safe  place  in  which 
to  keep  them  at  home.  Scores  of  these  square  towers  may 
be  seen  looming  up  above  the  rest  of  the  city  all  over  Can- 
ton. Xow  and  then  we  came  upon  a  five  or  seven-story 
tower,  a  prominent  feature  in  the  scene,  which  afforded  us 


CHINESE   PAGODA. 


CANTON  AND  ITS  SIGHTS.  147 

our  first  view  of  the  Chinese  pagodas.  They  are  usually 
fast  going  to  decay,  and  most  of  them  are  considered  too 
insecure  to  be  ascended. 

Twelve  miles  below  Canton  we  reached  Whampoa,  once 
a  place  of  some  commercial  importance,  and  soon  after 
came  upon  the  outskirts  of  the  wilderness  of  boats  which 
forms  one  of  the  most  remarkable  sights  of  the  great  city. 
It  is  estimated  that  300,000  of  the  people  belonging  to 
Canton  live  on  the  water  in  boats,  not  merely  to  obtain  a 
livelihood  from  the  water,  but  chiefly  for  the  sake  of  a  resi- 
dence. The  people  are  boi-n,  spend  their  days,  and  die  in 
these  boats,  the  only  homes  and  the  only  shelter  that  they 
have  from  the  time  of  their  birth  until  they  are  committed 
to  the  grave,  and  yet  a  happier-looking  class  of  people  1 
have  not  seen  any  where  in  China.  One  morning  I  saw 
under  my  window,  which  was  on  the  shore,  a  family  of  ten 
persons — father,  mother,  and  eight  young  children — taking 
their  breakfast  of  rice,  and  fish,  and  a  few  greens  in  one  end 
of  their  boat,  and  apparently  as  well  contented,  as  if  they 
owned  a  palace.  These  boats  are  of  all  sizes  and  of  all 
sorts,  the  most  of  them  small  sampans,  about  the  size  of  an 
ordinaiy  row-boat,  with  a  simple  mat  or  bamboo  covering 
over  one  half,  while  others  are  large  and  elaborately  orna- 
mented with  carvings  in  wood,  and  gold  and  paint.  Some 
of  them  are  occupied  as  restaurants  and  places  of  amuse- 
ment, the  large  boats  being  usually  moored  alongside  of 
each  other,  with  long  water-streets  running  between  the 
blocks.  Besides  these  there  are  innumerable  craft,  junks 
of  all  sizes,  sailing  or  rowing  up  and  down  and  across  the 
river,  making  it  exceedingly  difiicult  at  times  to  find  an 
opening  through  which  to  steer  a  boat.  The  men  who  live 
on  the  boats  go  ashore  for  employment  during  the  day,  and 
the  women  ply  the  oars,  and  capital  boatmen  they  are.  I 
give  them  a  decided  preference  over  men,  for  they  are  not 
only  equally  handy  with  the  oar  or  the  scull,  but  they  are 
far  more  polite,  and,  1  may  add,  more  honest  than  their 
other  halves  who  are  on  shore  at  work  during  the  day. 


l-tS  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

One  would  imaG^ine  that  a  boat  must  be  a  dans-erous 
place  to  bring  up  a  family  of  children,  but  the  mothers  tie 
a  joint  of  bamboo  to  each  of  tlieir  little  ones,  and  if  they 
tumble  overboard  it  serves  as  a  float,  and  they  are  recover- 
ed. They  do  not  grieve  much  if  the  child  never  turns  up, 
especially  if  it  be  a  girl. 

There  have  been  some  fearful  scenes  among  this  floating 
population.  The  typhoons  which  sweep  over  the  China 
Seas  and  along  the  coast,  and  which  are  so  destructive  to 
shipping,  seldom  come  so  far  inland  as  Canton,  but  four  or 
five  years  since  one  of  the  most  severe  ever  known  passed 
over  the  city,  and  it  is  comparatively  easy  to  imagine  the 
havoc  made  with  these  floating  homes  of  the  poorer  people, 
but  impossible  to  describe,  or  even  to  conceive,  the  scenes 
which  followed.  This  wilderness  of  river  craft,  which  at 
ordinary  times  is  so  quiet,  and  only  sways  hither  and  thith- 
er with  the  tide,  was  like  a  heap  of  chaff  before  the  tem- 
pest. The  house-boats,  many  of  which  were  of  large  size, 
became  as  dust  to  the  wind,  and  were  carried  away  no 
one  knew  where ;  the  heavier  boats  were  sunk  in  great 
numbers,  the  occupants  were  hurled  into  the  water  as  their 
homes  were  torn  to  pieces,  and  when  the  storm  had  passed, 
and  an  estimate  could  be  made  of  the  loss  of  life,  it  was 
found  that  60,000  persons  had  perished.  For  a  long  time 
the  river  was  stre-^ii  with  the  dead  bodies. 

Just  before  reaching  the  city  we  came  upon  a  small  isl- 
and fortified  in  the  Chinese  style,  and  having  a  picturesque 
appearance. 

Canton  is  regarded  as  the  first  city  in  the  empire  for 
wealth  and  elegance.  It  is  the  best  built,  and,  what  is  no 
mean  praise  for  a  Chinese  city,  it  is  the  cleanest.  There  is 
no  external  magnificence  in  any  of  the  buildings.  The 
houses,  generally  combining  both  shop  and  residence,  are 
usually  of  one  story,  never  more  than  two,  and  there  is 
scarcely  such  a  thing  to  be  imagined  here  as  architectural 
taste.  It  would  be  wasted  if  there  were  such  an  element 
in  the  composition  of  the  people,  for  the  city,  like  all  oth- 


CANTON  AND  ITS  SIGHTS. 


149 


ers,  is  so  compact  that  nothing  could  be  seen  to  advantage. 
Many  of  the  streets  are  covered  with  matting  to  shut  out 
the  rays  of  the  sun,  giving  them  a  sombre,  indoor  appear- 
ance. Indeed,  when  one  enters  the  gates  of  this  or  any 
other  city  that  I  have  seen  in  China,  he  bids  adieu  to  the 
outer  world,  and  even  to  the  heavens,  and  wanders  on  in  a 
shaded  labyrintli  until  he  leaves  the  city  itself. 


FOET  NEAR  CANTON. 


There  are  no  prominent  buildings,  with  the  exception  of 
the  pawnbrokers'  towers ;  even  the  temples  are  low,  scarce- 
ly rising  above  the  surrounding  houses,  and  altogether  the 
view  of  the  town  from  without  has  nothins:  that  is  strikina; 
or  interesting.  There  is  one  beautiful  spot,  but  not  a  part 
of  Canton.  When  the  occupation  of  the  city  by  the  foreign 
powers  was  given  up  hi  1861,  the  old  factory  site  was  a 


150 


ABOUND  THE  WOULD. 


desolation.  In  place  of  tliif^,  a  low,  sandy  island,  directly 
on  tlie  river  bank  half  a  mile  liii^lier  np,  was  appropriated 
to  foreigners,  and  at  great  expense  was  raised  some  ten  or 
twelve  feet  above  high-water  mark,  and  surrounded  by  a 
granite  wall  of  hewn  stone.  The  lots  were  then  sold,  and 
the  foreign  residences  and  hongs  built  upon  it.  It  is  now 
a  small  city  of  palaces,  and  forms  the  only  beautif id  feat- 
in-e  in  the  view  of  Canton  as  one  passes  it  by  the  river. 
There  are  three  longitudinal  and  several  cross  streets  set 
with  trees,  the  compounds  being  ornamented  with  plan- 
tains, shrubbery,  and  flowers,  a  public  garden  or  square 
adding  to  the  attractions  of  the  place.  The  island  is  called 
Shah-Min.  It  is  connected  with  the  city  by  an  iron  bridge 
100  feet  long,  which  no  Chinese  is  allowed  to  cross. 

In  enumerating  the  sights  of  Canton  I  should  begin  with 
the  streets  themselves,  which,  notwithstanding  their  con- 
tracted dimensions  and  great  irregularity,  are  as  varying 
and  entertaining  in  their  aspect  as  a  kaleidoscope.  They 
are  never  more  than  eiglit  or  ten  feet  wide ;  not  a  street  in 
the  city  will  admit  of  the  passage  of  any  kind  of  wdieeled 
carriage,  the  only  mode  of  conveyance  for  passengers  being 
the  sedan  chair,  which  is  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  coolies, 


-i*"'=-Ci-- 


SEDAN   CHAIB. 


suspended  on  poles.     All  merchandise  and  every  thing  else 
is  carried  by  coolies  in  the  same  way. 

The  streets  do  not  answer  to  their  hif>;h-soundino-  names 
such  as  "  Pure  Pearl  Street"  (not  referring  to  the  perfumes 
that  abound  more  or  less  every  where), "  Street  of  Benevo- 


CANTON  AND  ITS  SIGHTS.  151 

lence  and  Love,"  "  Couchant  Dragon  Street,"  "  Court  of 
Unblemished  Rectitude,"  etc. ;  but  some  of  them  are  per- 
fect bazars,  the  shops  on  either  side  being  filled  with  cost- 
ly articles  well  arranged  for  effect,  rich  jewelry,  silks  of  all 
kinds,  curiosities  in  ivory,  and  all  sorts  of  ornamental  and 
fancy  work. 

The  principal  streets  are  hung  with  gay  banners  sus- 
pended from  the  tops  of  the  houses  and  from  the  fronts  of 
the  shops.  The  signs,  which  are  gaudy,  stand  upon  the 
end,  and,  with  their  bright  colors,  give  a  showy  aspect  to 
the  fronts  of  the  buildings;  while  the  great  variety  of 
curious  articles  exposed  to  public  view  by  the  open  doors ; 
the  noisy  tide  of  human  beings,  which  is  all  the  while 
suro-ins;  throuo-h  these  narrow  avenues  on  foot  and  in 
chairs,  with  the  coolies  carrying  burdens  of  all  sorts ;  the 
processions  which  one  often  meets,  and  which  take  up 
the  whole  street  as  they  pass  along,  all  together  make  up 
such  a  scene  as  can  be  found  in  no  other  city  in  China,  and 
the  like  to  which  is  not  to  be  found  in  any  other  part  of 
the  world.  We  were  never  molested  in  our  peregrinations 
through  Canton,  but  were  occasionally  greeted  with  the 
salutation  which  the  Chinese  are  fond  of  bestowing  upon 
foreigners,  Fan-l'vxti„  Fan-Jcvxd  (foreign  devils,  foreign 
devils).  Even  the  little  children  caught  up  the  sound  and 
shouted  it  after  us. 

The  silk  weaving,  which  is  largely  carried  on  at  Canton, 
is  accounted  among  its  curiosities ;  but  it  is  chiefly  inter- 
esting, as  showing  how  the  most  beautiful  fabrics  can  be 
wrought  in  small  and  dirty  hovels  and  retain  their  purity. 
All  the  silks  of  China,  for  which  Canton  is  most  cele- 
brated, are  woven  by  hand  on  the  rudest  of  looms,  fre- 
quently by  mere  girls  and  boys.  I  watched  with  no  little 
surprise  the  growth  of  a  fine  brocade,  a  little  boy  mana- 
ging the  harness,  and  a  girl  sitting  at  the  loom  and  casting 
the  shuttle.  Every  figure  came  out  of  their  hands  perfect, 
the  whole  piece  looking  as  if  it  just  came  from  the  fuller, 
without  spot. 


152  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

We  made  an  excursion  one  afternoon  about  two  miles 
up  the  river  to  the  celebrated  Puntinqua  Aquatic  Garden, 
the  only  specimen  of  Chinese  gardening  that  I  saw  that 
exhibited  real  taste,  or  tliat  had  real  beauty.  The  Chinese 
style  is  exceedingly  stiff,  and  consists,  in  great  measure,  in 
training  plants,  and  shrubs,  and  trees  in  grotesque  shapes, 
distorting  tlie  vegetable  kingdom  into  a  supposed  resem- 
blance to  the  animal.  The  Puntinqua  Garden  is  laid  out 
on  a  magnificent  scale,  is  chiefly  devoted  to  the  cultivation 
of  aquatic  plants  in  picturesque  lakes,  with  beautiful  sum- 
mer-houses and  palaces  scattered  among  them,  and  is  pro- 
vided with  all  the  requisites  for  elegant  entertainments.  • 
The  furniture  is  of  the  most  costly  description.  It  was 
planned,  and  for  years  kept  in  order,  by  a  high  officer  of 
government,  who  made  an  immense  fortune  out  of  his  of- 
fice, chiefly  by  peculation,  as  it  is  asserted.  His  estate  of 
several  millions  of  dollars  had  been  confiscated,  and  this 
extensive  and  beautiful  monument  to  his  taste  was  rapidly 
going  to  ruin.  No  one  would  probably  be  found  having 
either  the  fancy  or  the  means  to  invest  in  such  an  expen- 
sive toy. 

The  temples  of  Canton,  as  of  China  generally,  are  very 
inferior  to  those  of  Japan.  There  is  nothing  I  have  seen 
that  will  bear  comparison  with  the  grand  old  temples  of 
Shiba  at  Yeddo.  The  latter  are  kept  with  scrupulous  neat- 
ness, the  surroundings  as  well  as  the  interiors  showing  per- 
fect taste,  while  the  temples  at  Canton  are  simply  curious 
places,  the  approaches  to  them  being  often  obstructed  with 
rubbish  and  dirt.  One  of  the  most  celebrated  is  that  of 
the  patron  god  of  the  city,  better  known  as  the  "  Temple 
of  Horrors,"  from  a  series  of  rude  representations  of  the 
torment  of  purgatory  and  perdition  which  occupy,  but  do 
not  ornament,  the  square  in  front  of  the  temple.  They  are 
wooden  or  clay  images,  one  group  representing  the  several 
stages  of  transmigration  through  which  a  human  being 
passes  before  he  reaches  the  condition  of  the  lower  ani- 
mals.    They  rival  the  pictures  on  the  walls  of  the  Church 


CANTON  AND  ITS  SIGHTS.  2.53 

of  San  Lorenzo,  outside  of  tlie  walls  of  liome.  One  man 
is  represented  as  undergoing  the  process  of  boiling  in 
a  calcb'on  of  oil;  another  is  ground  between  two  mill- 
stones, his  head  and  body  having  gone  through  the  purify- 
ing process,  the  lower  part  of  his  legs  only  projecting  from 
the  mill ;  another  is  placed  between  two  planks,  which 
are  closely  pressed  together,  and  sawed  longitudinally,  the 
blood  oozino-  out  at  the  sides.  But  it  is  all  done  in  such  a 
I'ude  style  as  to  make  the  representation  ludicrous  instead 
of  horrible.  At  the  side  of  a  large  open  square  in  front 
of  this  temple  I  saw  a  small  inclosure,  with  a  placard  in 
front,  which  read  as  follows,  in  plain  English  :  "  Mermaid ; 
ten  cents  to  go  in  and  see  it."  We  went  in,  and  found  one 
of  those  curious  Japanese  manufactures  which  are  known 
the  world  over,  a  monkey's  head  so  cleverly  affixed  to  the 
body  of  a  fish  as  to  conceal  the  line  of  junction.  I  asked 
the  man  who  had  it  in  charge  if  it  came  from  Japan,  and 
he  simply  replied  "  Humbug."  I  made  several  inquiries 
in  regard  to  it,  and  the  only  answer  I  got  was  "  humbug." 
He  had  evidently  got  hold  of  a  term  the  meaning  of  which 
he  did  not  understand,  supposing  it  to  be  complimentary. 
The  same  square  was  crowded  with  groups  of  persons  gam- 
bling, consulting  astrologers  and  necromancers,  and  hav- 
ing a  good  time  generally,  while  the  thoughts  of  religious 
worship  were  among  the  last  that  could  have  entered  their 
heads.  The  temple  itself  is  more  resorted  to  b}^  the  people 
of  the  city  than  any  other,  but  there  is  very  little  of  the 
form  of  worship  at  any.  Every  man  has  his  shrine  at  tlie 
door  of  his  house  or  slioi"),  at  which  he  burns  his  joss-sticks, 
and  with  this  ^4carious  devotion  he  is  probably  satisfied. 

Another  celebrated  joss-house  is  known  as  the  Temple 
of  the  Eive  Hundred  Gods.  The  Chinese  deify  their  an- 
cestors, and  it  is  thus  easy  to  make  a  large  collection  of 
gods.  These  five  hundred  are  carved  and  gilded  life-size 
images  of  as  many  sages,  real  or  imaginary,  arranged  in 
long  rows  up  and  down  tlie  temple.  They  are  a  curious 
sight,  especially  in  the  great  variety  of  faces  and  forms 


154  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

which  they  present,  all  classes  of  features  and  all  nation- 
alities being  represented,  sometimes  with  very  good  effect. 
Among  the  gods  was  one  in  European  dress,  tight-bodied 
coat  and  pantaloons ;  but  how  he  came  to  be  deified  in 
China  I  did  not  learn. 

As  we  approached  this  temple  we  saw  half  a  dozen 
priests  standing  in  front  of  a  sort  of  altar,  with  their  books 
open,  i-eady  to  commence  the  service,  which  we  afterward 
heard  them  intoning  in  true  ritualistic  style.  One  of  them, 
happening  to  turn  his  head,  saw  us  approaching,  and  the 
whole  group  immediately  left  their  altar  and  prayer-books 
and  gathered  around  us,  the  lady  who  was  with  me,  as 
usual,  attracting  the  chief  attention.  They  at  once,  as  I 
judged  from  their  looks,  fell  to  criticising  her  dress.  They 
assumed  that  we  could  not  understand  their  conversation, 
but  a  gentleman  was  with  me  who  had  been  ten  years  in 
China,  and  was  perfectly  familiar  with  their  language,  and 
he  informed  us  in  English  that  they  were  discussing  the 
material  of  which  the  lady's  dress  was  composed.  One 
said  it  was  gauze,  another  maintained  it  was  worsted,  and 
another  silk.  One  of  them  spoke  "u-ith  commendation  of 
her  wearing  a  veil,  which  they  all  thought  was  eminently 
proper  for  a  lady.  After  they  had  discussed  these  points 
to  their  satisfaction,  they  returned  to  their  prayer-books, 
and  as  we  walked  on  through  the  temple  we  heard  them 
drawling  out  the  service. 

The  most  imposing  temple,  and  that  which  seems  most 
strictly  devoted  to  purposes  of  worship,  although  few  of 
the  people  are  seen  in  it,  is  the  Buddhist  temple  at  Ilonam, 
directly  across  the  river.  It  is  reached  by  a  long  avenue 
of  stately  trees,  with  a  large  archway  about  half  the  dis- 
tance from  the  entrance  to  the  grounds.  It  has  some 
claims,  though  not  great,  to  magnificence  of  structure.  It  is 
well  endowed,  and  supports  a  large  number  of  lazy  priests 
with  closely-shaven  heads,  and  a  considerable  number  of 
that  sacred  animal  kno^^^l  at  home  as  the  hos;.  The  ani- 
mals  (I  mean  the  swine,  though  the  priests  have  scarcely 


CANTON  AND  ITS  SIGHTS.  ;!  5  5 

any  stronger  marks  of  intelligence  in  their  countenances) 
are  fed  from  the  funds  of  the  temple,  and  literally  roll  in 
fat.  Whether  they  die  a  natural  death,  or  are  made  to 
contribute  to  the  support  of  the  priests,  I  do  not  know,  but 
the  preservation  of  life  is  a  part  of  the  Buddhist  religion. 
I  attended  the  service,  which  is  performed  daily  by  the 
priests  without  any  worshipers.  About  twenty  ofliciated, 
and  the  service,  which  consisted  of  chanting,  intoning,  ring- 
ing of  bells,  striking  a  toui-tom,  and  various  bowings  and 
genuflections,  with  marchings  up  and  down  the  temple,  was 
very  like  that  which  may  be  witnessed  in  any  Roman  Cath- 
olic church.  The  chanting  was  well  done,  and  had  a  pleas- 
ing effect  upon  the  ear.  I  have  before  remarked  upon  the 
similarity  between  the  Buddhist  temples  and  ceremonies 
and  those  of  the  Romanists,  and  every  where  it  was  the 
same. 

There  is  nothing  picturesque  in  the  ordinary  dress  of  the 
Chinese.  Like  the  Japanese,  they  wear  the  everlasting 
dull  blue  cotton,  all  excepting  the  really  wealthy,  and,  un- 
like the  blue  of  the  sky,  which  it  is  very  unlike,  it  becomes 
any  thing  but  pleasing  to  the  eye  after  one  has  looked  upon 
some  millions  wearing  it.  The  Chinese,  too,  are  the  reverse 
of  neat  in  their  personal  habits,  and  one  soon  comes  to  as- 
sociate this  with  the  blue  cotton  clothing  which  is  seen 
wherever  clothing  is  used  at  all.  Consequently  w^e  came 
to  doubt  whether  the  grand  display  of  gorgeous  attire  of 
whici>  we  had  read  was  not  all  in  the  imaginations  of  the 
writers,  but  we  had  an  opportunity  while  in  Canton  to  con- 
firm all  that  we  had  read  and  heard. 

Some  of  our  friends  informed  us  two  or  tln-ee  days  in 
advance  of  a  grand  procession  which  was  to  take  place  in 
honor  of  one  of  the  gods,  an  uncouth  image  which  was  to 
be  taken  from  the  temple  and  paraded  through  the  streets, 
and  a  friend  very  kindly  made  arrangements  for  us  to  view 
it  from  the  balcony  of  a  large  tea-merchant's  hong.  The 
street  itself,  like  the  others  through  which  tlie  procession 
was  to  pass,  was  about  eight  feet  wide — not  a  very  grand 


156  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

theatre  for  such  a  display.  But  they  must  needs  use  such 
avenues  as  they  have,  and  there  are  none  much  wider.  We 
went  early,  in  time  to  see  the  operations  connected  with 
the  assorting,  mixing,  and  flowering  of  the  teas,  which  last 
consists  of  mingling  with  the  leaves  of  the  tea  various  flow- 
ers, the  chief  of  which  is  tlie  jessamine,  to  give  it  fragrance. 
Soon  after  we  arrived  the  requisite  number  of  cups  was 
placed  before  us,  the  choicest  tea  of  the  establishment 
placed  in  each  cup,  the  hot  water  poured  on,  and  a  second 
cup  or  saucer  placed  over  the  first  to  preserve  the  flavor, 
the  universal  mode  of  making  tea  in  China.  To  one  who 
is  accustomed  to  having  milk  and  sugar  added,  this  decoc- 
tion is  very  insipid ;  but  the  hospitality  must  be  accepted, 
and  it  was  renewed,  on  this  as  on  other  occasions,  as  often 
as  the  proprietor,  who  could  not  speak  or  understand  a 
word  of  English,  imagined  we  were  thirsty. 

We  waited  more  than  an  hour  for  the  procession  to  ar- 
ive,  and,  in  the  mean  time,  were  the  objects  of  as  much 
curiosity  as  the  procession  itself.  During  the  two  hours 
that  it  was  moving,  we  (especially,  if  not  wholly,  the  lady 
that  was  with  me)  fairly  divided  the  honors  of  the  day  with 
the  Dragon  god.  The  Cliinese,  like  the  Japanese,  never  be- 
come tired  of  looking  at  foreign  ladies  (in  the  case  of  Amer- 
ican ladies  I  do  not  wonder),  and  while  we  looked  at  the 
pageant  that  was  passing  before  us,  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren stared  into  the  balcony,  as  if  such  a  sight  as  an  Amer- 
ican lady  had  never  been  seen  in  Canton.  How  many  of 
them  bestowed  upon  us  the  usual  compliment,  Fan-kwai 
(foreign  devils),  I  could  not  tell. 

After  we  had  waited  long,  the  sound  of  tom-toms,  aud 
cymbals,  and  gongs,  and  triangles,  and  then  of  Chinese 
flutes  and  various  rude  instruments,  was  heard,  and  one  of 
the  most  gorgeous  processions  that  I  ever  beheld  passed  be- 
fore us.  There  was  more  or  less  sameness  between  differ- 
ent parts,  but  there  was  a  great  variety,  especially  in  the 
costumes  of  the  persons  composing  it,  and  in  the  richly-em- 
broidered canopies  which  were  carried  along  in  large  num- 


1 


CANTON  AND  ITS  SIOHTS.  157 

bers.  I  made  some  notes  of  the  component  parts  of  the 
procession,  and  will  copy  only  a  specimen.  Of  course  I 
am  nuable  to  picture  the  scene  as  it  moved  on  like  a  pano- 
rama, or  like  the  endless  turning  of  a  kaleidoscope  in  which 
the  gayest  colors  and  richest  combinations  appear. 

First  came  a  band  of  police-officers  (as  in  New  York)  to 
drive  away  the  crowd  who  had  assembled  in  the  narrow 
street  to  see  the  sight ;  then  men  carrying  immense  Chi- 
nese lanterns,  ornamented  in  every  conceivable  manner 
with  rich  colors ;  next  a  company  of  small  boj^s  elegantly 
dressed  in  silks  of  various  colors,  wdth  caps  embroidered  in 
gold,  and  set  off  with  the  feathers  of  the  golden  pheasant 
three  feet  in  length ;  music  consisting  of  a  sort  of  flageolet, 
with  cymbals  and  gongs ;  coolies  bearing  vermilion  and 
gilded  tablets  with  Chinese  inscriptions  (which  I  did  not 
attempt  to  copy) ;  more  boys  on  foot,  elegantly  dressed  as 
before ;  silk  banners  in  various  colors  borne  aloft ;  a  boy 
on  horseback,  his  own  dress  of  the  richest  description,  and 
the  housings  of  his  horse  richly  embroidered  (boys  thus 
dressed  and  decorated  in  every  imaginable  way  were  dis- 
tributed singly  through  the  procession,  until  in  its  different 
parts  there  were  more  than  a  hundred,  in  a  city  where 
horses  are  scarcely  ever  seen);  a  rich  canopy  of  silk  em- 
broidered all  over  with  birds  of  gay  plumage  (and  such 
canopies  came  along  every  minute  in  the  long  procession) ; 
elegant  sedan  chairs,  cases  elaborately  carved  and  orna- 
mented, carried  by  the  coolies,  and  containing  gifts  to  the 
god ;  boy  bands  of  music,  and  boys  on  horseback  dressed 
in  fancy  costumes,  representing  sages  of  the  empire  and 
emperors,  some  with  long  flowing  beards  and  some  with 
bows  and  arrows ;  a  large  white  crane  pouncing  down  with 
joss-sticks  in  its  mouth  as  an  offering ;  fruits  and  confec- 
tionery in  endless  variety  for  the  god  to  eat ;  glass  cases 
containing  jewelry  and  precious  stones,  including  the  Chi- 
nese jade-stones,  loaned  undoubtedly  for  the  show ;  com- 
panies of  men  dressed  in  the  most  costly  silks,  crimson,  sal- 
mon, orange,  green,  blue,  etc.,  the  colors  of  the  dresses  and 


158  AROUND  THE  WOBLD. 

the  different  parts  blended  and  contrasted  -s^'ith  exquisite 
taste ;  large,  lofty  embroidered  silk  canopies  j)assira,  and 
so  of  the  Chinese  lanterns  and  Chinese  music ;  boys  richly 
dressed  and  painted,  carried  on  platforms,  and  girls  carried 
in  a  similar  manner,  resting  on  rods  of  iron  concealed,  and 
apparently  suspended  in  air,  as  if  caught  up  in  the  act  of 
dancing  or  performing  some  gymnastic  feat.  Toward  the 
close  of  the  procession  came  the  public  executioner,  with 
the  heavy  sword  which  takes  off  the  head  at  a  blow. 

This  does  not  begin  to  complete  the  catalogue,  but,  as 
far  as  it  goes,  it  is  a  faithful  transcript  of  notes  made  on 
the  spot.  It  was  a  perfect  marvel  to  see  such  a  pageant 
got  up  by  the  dull-looking  Chinese,  and  to  observe  what  a 
variety  of  scenes  the  turns  of  the  kaleidoscope  would  bring 
up  as  the  pageant  moved  on. 

I  saw,  in  the  course  of  my  walks,  two  large  wedding  pro- 
cessions. One  I  encountered  in  a  narrow  street,  and  was 
squeezed  into  a  corner  during  the  time  of  its  passing,  but 
it  was  a  curious  sight,  and  well  worth  a  squeeze  to  see  it. 
The  parties  did  not  seem  to  be  present,  and  the  procession 
was  composed  mainly  of  the  presents  made,  or  supposed  to 
be  made,  to  the  bride,  which  were  on  their  way  to  her  home. 
They  consisted  of  all  sorts  of  articles  that  would  be  likely 
to  enter  into  the  outfit,  the  housekeeping,  and  living  of  a 
newly-married  couple.  There  were  tables,  chairs,  trunks, 
boxes,  blankets,  etc. ;  even  fowls  in  coops,  and  vegetables  in 
baskets.  I  heard  it  suggested,  as  the  long  procession  was 
passing  by,  that  the  Chinese  are  not  behind  the  more  civil- 
ized nations  in  the  art  of  swelling  the  display  of  presents 
on  such  occasions,  and  that  a  large  portion  of  the  articles 
that  I  saw  moving  in  such  grand  ceremonial,  like  those 
which  we  sometimes  see  so  ostentatiously  displayed  on  ta- 
bles in  the  Western  world,  were  hired  for  the  occasion,  and 
might  be  seen  the  next  day  gracing  other  nuptials. 

Another  procession  of  a  similar  character  I  met  at  one 
of  the  ferries  between  Ilonara  and  Canton,  and,  as  the  boats 
are  small,  it  was  a  long  time  in  passing  over.     The  boats 


CANTON  AND  ITS  SIGHTS.  159 

were  plying  back  and  forth  for  nearly  an  honr,  at  the  end 
of  which  time,  having  finished  my  call  and  returned,  I  ob- 
served it  just  leaving  the  river.  This  procession  was  even 
gayer  and  more  varied  than  the  one  1  had  met  in  the  heart 
of  the  city,  and  was  designed,  like  all  others,  to  attract  at- 
tention by  its  gorgeous  character.  Nor  was  it  a  failure  in 
this  respect.  Great  numbers  of  persons  were  standing 
around  discussing  the  value  and  beauty  of  the  articles,  and, 
I  presume,  making  their  comments  upon  the  parties  and 
families  interested,  who  obtained  their  satisfaction  in  being 
talked  about  by  the  street-goers.  Whether  they  found  a 
place  in  the  gazette  I  am  not  able  to  say,  as  I  did  not  read 
the  Chinese  papers  next  day. 

I  came  once,  in  the  city  of  Shangliai,  upon  a  long  funer- 
al procession  which  was  preceded  by  a  powerful  band  of 
music — powerful  in  amount  of  noise  and  not  of  music. 
The  mourners,  real  or  professional,  in  white,  were  carried 
in  sedan  chairs,  and  at  different  intervals  in  the  course  of 
the  procession  companies  of  men  in  long  white  garments 
filled  np  the  train  and  kept  up  a  constant  wailing,  making 
the  scene  mournful  even  in  the  midst  of  the  crowd  which 
always  fills  the  streets  of  a  Chinese  city.  Not  the  most 
grotesque  ceremonies,  nor  the  most  matter-of-business  cir- 
cumstances, can  divest  death  of  its  solemnity  or  bereave- 
ment of  its  touching  character.  The  imagination  will  al- 
ways supply  enough  that  is  melancholy. 

A  much  simpler  funeral  I  saw  outside  the  walls  of  the 
same  city.  It  consisted  of  two  common  coolies  W'ho  were 
bearing  to  the  grave,  slung  upon  a  pole,  the  coffins  of  two 
cliildren  apparently  five  or  six  years  of  age.  They  were 
not  attended  by  a  single  relative  or  friend,  but  were  to  be 
buried  like  dogs.  Children  in  China  are  not  considered 
wortli  a  funeral,  or  even  mourning,  unless  they  have  ar- 
rived at  the  age  of  eight  or  ten  years. 


IQQ  AIWUAU  THE  WOULD. 


XI. 

CHINESE  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS. 

One  of  the  most  curious  but  not  the  most  agreeable  parts 
of  a  traveler's  experience  in  going  round  the  world  is  to  be 
found  in  the  ffreat  diversity  of  manners  and  customs  in  re- 
gard  to  eating  and  drinking.  One  can  accommodate  him- 
self readily  to  many  new  circumstances  in  which  he  luids 
himself  on  stepping  into  a  new  country,  but  he  can  not  al- 
ways make  his  taste  agree  with  the  tastes  of  the  people 
among  whom  he  is  thrown.  Happily,  in  this  age  of  the 
woi'ld  he  finds  some  of  the  staples  of  life  much  the  same 
the  world  over,  so  that  he  is  not  obliged  practically  to  put 
the  most  fastidious  of  the  senses  to  the  strong  test  which  it 
had  to  endure,  when  traveling,  as  one  of  the  fine  arts,  was 
more  in  its  infancy ;  but  he  can  still  indulge  in  observation 
and  speculation  to  his  heart's  content. 

The  Chinese  fi'om  time  immemorial,  at  least  from  the 
days  when  we  studied  the  pictorial  geography,  have  been 
celebrated  for  the  range  of  their  animal  diet,  and  for  some 
of  the  luxuries  of  life  wliich  are  peculiar  to  the  celestial 
kingdom.  To  begin  with  the  first  course,  soup.  All  the 
world  knows  that  in  China  they  have  a  delicacy  which  has 
not  reached  other  parts,  in  birds'-nest  soup.  One  of  my 
first  inquiries,  as  I  got  into  the  streets  of  Canton,  was  after 
this  commodity,  or  the  nests  from  which  it  is  made,  and  I 
was  taken  into  a  fine  shop,  fitted  up  in  a  costly  manner, 
where  it  was  the  only  article  sold. 

Birds'-nests  are  a  great  luxury  in  China,  being  within  the 
reach  of  the  wealthy  alone.  They  are  sold  at  prices  grad- 
uated according  to  the  quality  of  the  article,  none  of  any 
value  bringing  a  less  price  than  their  weight  in  silver,  and 
some  bringing  almost  tlieir  weiglit  in  gold.     Xests  are  sold 


CHINESE  MANXEIiS  AND  CUSTOMS.  \Q\ 

as  high  as  $30  or  $40  a  pound.  The  nests  are  simply  a 
mass  of  pure  gelatine,  secreted  in  some  way  by  a  species  of 
swallow  {Ilirundo  esculenta),  and  deposited  against  a  wall, 
just  as  the  swallows  in  our  country  stick  a  nest  of  mud 
against  a  beam.  Some  naturalists  inaintain  that  the  gela- 
tine is  formed  from  a  sort  of  sea-foam  which  the  swallow 
gathers,  and  which  is  exuded  from  the  mouth  of  the  bird. 
It  resembles  the  gelatine  known  by  the  name  of  isinglass, 
and  the  purer  sort  is  almost  transparent.  There  is  nothing 
repulsive  in  its  appearance,  and  its  origin  is  just  as  honor- 
able and  commendatory  as  that  from  which  our  jellies  are 
made  at  home — I  am  disposed  to  think  more  so.  The  nests 
come  chiefly  from  the  island  of  Java,  where  they  are  ob- 
tained with  great  labor,  and  often  at  much  peril,  from  deep 
caves  along  the  coast.  Some  of  these  caves  on  the  southern 
coast  of  the  island  are  approached  only  by  a  perpendicu- 
lar descent  of  great  depth,  by  means  of  ladders,  the  raging 
of  the  sea  below  preventing  all  approach  from  the  water. 
When  collected  they  are  assorted  into  different  grades, 
those  w^hich  have  not  been  occupied  by  the  birds  bringing 
the  highest  price,  and  the  other  grades  prices  according  to 
cleanliness  and  quality.  From  one  to  two  million  dollars' 
worth  are  imported  eveiy  year  into  Canton.  I  put  a  fine 
specimen  of  the  nest  into  my  trunk  for  importation  into 
America. 

The  Chinese  do  not  have  as  great  a  variety  of  animal 
food  as  the  Westei'n  nations,  but  they  make  use  of  some 
which  most  nations  reject.  I  find  a  great  diversity  in  the 
testimonv  of  travelers  and  residents  in  reo-ard  to  the  use  of 
"  rats,  cats,  and  puppies,"  some  of  the  latter  (I  mean  the 
residents)  stoutly  afiirming  that  such  animals  are  not  eaten 
at  all,  or,  if  so,  only  in  cases  of  extremity,  where  nothing 
else  in  the  shape  of  food  can  be  obtained.  But  I  have  seen 
all  these  exposed  for  sale  in  the  markets  of  Canton  in  the 
very  heart  of  the  city. 

There  are  dog  markets  where  nothing  else  is  sold,  and 
where  day  after  day  I  have  seen  dogs  dressed  and  ready 

L 


162  ABOUND  THE  WOULD. 

cooked.  There  are  several  such  markets  in  the  city.  Rats 
also,  alive  and  dead,  fresh  and  dried,  are  regularly  and  con- 
stantly sold,  and  I  have  seen  them  in  all  these  stages  of 
preparation  as  I  have  been  passing.  One  plump  fellow  I 
saw  suspended  by  his  tail  from  a  market-hook  waiting  for 
a  purchaser,  but  all  the  w^hile  struggling  to  escape,  while 
the  dried  specimens  hanging  around  him  mocked  his  ago- 
ny, and  awaited  their  destiny  with  more  composure.  There 
is  no  more  reason  for  denying  that  such  animals  are  regu- 
larly sold  in  the  markets  of  Canton  for  food  than  that  beef 
and  mutton  are  sold  in  the  markets  of  ISTew  York.  And 
yet  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  the  mass  of  the  people  do 
not  use  them.  Their  use  is  confined  to  those  who  are  un- 
able to  obtain  flesh  meat  that  is  more  expensive. 

Another  staple  in  the  line  of  animal  food  is  pork.  Chi- 
nese pigs  are  celebrated  the  world  over  for  their  excellent 
quality,  and,  as  well  as  Shanghai  chickens,  have  long  been 
imported  into  America.  They  are  raised  with  great  care 
— as  carefully,  if  not  more  so,  than  the  children.  They  are 
often  kept  in  little  cages  in  the  shops  and  houses,  where 
they  receive  every  attention,  and  are  fed  with  the  choicest 
food  instead  of  living  on  what  is  thrown  away.  And  a 
very  quiet  and  well-behaved  race  they  are.  They  are  car- 
ried about  the  streets  in  baskets  just  large  enough  for  them 
to  be  slipped  into  with  their  legs  folded,  and  in  this  state 
are  laid  away  at  the  markets  and  other  places,  but  I  do  not 
remember  ever  to  have  heard  in  China  a  single  note  of  that 
dulcet  music  which  is  their  peculiar  forte  in  other  parts. 
Perhaps  it  is  out  of  gratitude  that  they  remain  so  quiet,  for 
I  have  been  told  that,  until  the  government  interfered  and 
required  that  they  should  be  carried  in  baskets,  they  were 
slung  by  the  heels  across  a  pole,  a  mode  of  conveyance 
which  would  very  naturally  develop  their  musical  powers. 

The  fruits  of  China  are  generally  poor  and  destitute  of 
flavor.  We  had  some  fine  grapes  from  the  extreme  north, 
but  the  only  fruit  in  the  south  that  was  in  season  and  real- 
ly palatable  was  the  Amoy  pumelo,  corresponding  to  the 
West  India  shaddock. 


CHINESE  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS. 


163 


The  cultivation  of  small  feet  is  not  altogether  peculiar  to 

the  higher  classes,  nor  to  those 
who  are  exempt 'from  labor.  It 
is  regarded  as  a  mark  of  distinc- 
tion, but  only  as  conformity  to 
fashion  distinguishes  its  votaries. 
In  every  city  great  numbers  of 
women,  perhaps  a  quarter  or 
more  of  the  female  population, 
may  be  seen  toddling  about  the 
streets  on  their  pegs,  looking  very 
much  as  if  their  feet  had  been 
cut  off  and  they  were  walking  on 
the  stumps.  It  is  difficult  to  bal- 
ance themselves  in  walking,  and 
they  frequently  resort  to  a  third 
peg  in  the  shape  of  a  cane  to 
keep  themselves  straight.  The 
custom  of  closely  bandaging  the 
feet  from  infancy  is  not  so  inju- 
rious as  might  be  supposed,  but 
it  greatly  interferes  with  locomotion. 

Every  one  who  visits  China  or  reads  about  it  is  naturally 
curious  to  learn  something  about  the  great  staple  of  the 
country,  which  has  become  the  common  beverage  of  the 
world.  The  tea  plant  is  a  shrub  which,  left  to  itself,  would 
grow  to  the  height  of  twenty  feet  and  more,  but  as  culti- 
vated for  the  production  of  tea  it  is  cut  down  and  kept 
down  to  four  or  five  feet  in  height.  It  is  raised  chiefly  in 
the  central  regions.  The  leaves  are  gathered  several  times 
during  the  season,  the  earliest,  tender  leaves  being  account- 
ed the  best.  The  first  crop  is  usually  gathered  in  the  third 
year  from  planting,  and  at  the  end  of  about  seven  years  the 
plants  are  renewed  or  cut  down  to  the  ground,  new  shoots 
springing  up  from  the  roots.  Plants  treated  in  this  way 
will  live  for  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  and  produce  good 
crops. 


CHINESE   SMALL   FOOT. 


154  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

Tlie  difference  between  Mack  and  green  teas  is  not  a  dif- 
ference of  nature,  but  of  manufacture ;  both  may  be  pro- 
duced from  the  same  identical  shrub,  according  to  the 
treatment  of  the  leaves.  In  preparing  green  tea  the  leaves 
are  dried,  or  roasted  as  the  process  is  called  in  China,  by 
artificial  heat,  in  pans,  almost  immediately  after  being  gath- 
ered. After  about  five  minutes  roasting  they  become  moist 
and  soft,  when  they  are  placed  on  the  rolling  table  and 
rolled  with  the  hands.  They  are  then  restored  to  the  pans, 
which  are  kept  in  motion  for  about  an  hour,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  they  are  well  dried.  The  color  at  first  is  a  dull 
green,  but  it  becomes  Jixed  or  brighter  after  a  short  time. 
It  is  afterward  sifted  and  Ji7'ed,  or  heated,  before  being 
packed  for  market.  The  high  color  of  green  tea  is  often 
imparted  to  it  by  drugs,  which  are  not  the  most  wholesome 
for  a  beverage.  For  Mack  tea,  the  leaves,  on  being  picked, 
are  spread  out  in  the  open  air  for  some  time,  then  tossed 
about  until  they  become  soft,  when  they  are  roasted  in  pans 
for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  rolled,  after  which  they  are 
exposed  to  the  air  for  several  hours,  and  finally  dried  slowly 
over  the  fire  until  they  acquire  the  color  which  is  perma- 
nent. The  process  of  drying  produces  a  chemical  change 
in  the  juices  of  the  plant,  and  tlie  difference  in  the  process 
of  greater  or  less  exposure  to  the  atmospheric  air  in  the 
curing  accounts  for  the  difference  in  the  color  and  flavor 
of  the  two  kinds  of  tea. 

In  preparing  it  for  market,  fragrant  flowers  are  distrib- 
uted through  the  tea  as  it  is  placed  in  the  chest,  to  add  to 
its  flavor.  The  jessamine  is  most  commonly  used  on  ac- 
count of  its  fragrance.  Tea  is  unquestionably  often  adul- 
terated, and,  perhaps,  most  frequently  by  the  mixing  of 
spent  leaves  with  those  that  are  fresh.  In  the  vicinity  of 
Shanghai  I  saw  old  leaves  revamped  in  this  way  in  large 
quantities.  When  we  remember  the  immense  quantity  con- 
sumed in  the  empire,  and  that  the  mode  of  preparing  the 
beverage  is  not  by  thorough  steeping,  but  simply  by  pour- 
ing hot  water  upon  a  small  quantity  of  leaves  in  each  cup, 


CHINESE  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS.  J  (55 

leaving  much  of  the  strength  still  in  the  leaves,  it  does  not 
appear  strange  that  even  the  Chinese  should  resort  to  tliis 
mode  of  adulteration.  We  are  sometimes  shocked  at  the 
thought  that  barbarous  nations  should  adulterate  any  thing 
desio-ned  for  market,  when  adulteration  is  one  of  the  most 
common,  if  not  most  refined  arts  of  civilized  life. 

Who  does  not  remember  how  he  was  puzzled,  when  a 
child,  with  the  idea  that  the  Chinese,  living  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  globe,  must  of  necessity  be  standing  on  their 
heads ;  and,  although  the  matter  was  fully  explained  on  the 
principle  of  universal  gravitation  toward  the  centre  of  the 
earth,  tlie  puzzle  never  seemed  to  get  entirely  out  of  the 
youthful  head.  Children  of  larger  growth,  on  coming  to 
China,  find  a  hundred  puzzles  where  before  they  had  only 
one.  The  Chinese  seem  to  be  standing  on  their  heads  in 
almost  every  respect ;  they  reverse  the  general  orders  of 
society  in  more  ways  than  I  can  attempt  to  enumerate.  In 
China  the  mariner's  compass  does  not  point  to  the  north, 
but  to  the  south ;  in  other  words,  the  index  is  placed  upon 
the  opposite  end  of  the  needle,  a  fact  which  must  be  kept 
in  mind  by  those  who  follow  the  compass,  as  it  might  make 
some  difference  in  laying  their  course,  whether  they  go 
north  or  south,  east  or  west.  So  in  regard  to  the  different 
points  of  the  compass,  they  reverse  the  occidental  order, 
and  call  northwest  westnorth,  southeast  eastsouth,  etc. 

When  they  meet  a  person  whom  they  wish  to  salute,  in- 
stead of  taking  him  by  the  hand  and  giving  it  a  hearty 
shake,  the  ordinary  salutation  with  us,  they  shake  their  own 
hands,  putting  them  together  and  moving  them  up  and 
down.  In  most  civilized  countries  it  is  considered  a  mark 
of  respect,  and  even  of  ordinary  politeness,  to  take  off  the 
hat,  unless  it  be  for  one  with  whom  we  are  on  the  most  fa- 
miliar terms.  But  the  Chinese,  on  the  contrary,  reo-ard  it 
as  sho^ving  undue  familiarity  to  uncover  the  head,  and  al- 
though they  may  remove  their  shoes  on  coming  into  your 
presence,  they  never  think  of  removing  the  hat,  or  cap,  or 
whatever  they  may  be  wearing.     The  general  head-gear 


16G  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

of  the  men  is  a  sort  of  skull-cap.  If  a  Chinaman  wishes 
to  do  you  special  honor,  instead  of  placing  you  at  his  right 
hand,  you  will  have  a  seat  or  a  standing-place  on  his  left. 
When  invited  to  a  feast  or  other  entertainment,  the  men 
and  women,  although  invited  together,  do  not  eat  together, 
but  octcupy  separate  rooms,  a  custom  which  is  only  partially 
imitated  in  strictly  English  society,  where  ladies  are  exj)ect- 
ed  to  retire  early  by  themselves,  in  order  to  give  the  gen- 
tlemen an  oppoi'tunity  to  smoke  and  drink  to  their  hearts' 
content. 

I  am  sorry  to  say  that  the  female  sex  is  not  regarded 
with  much  respect  imtil  it  wears  the  honors  of  maternity. 
Girls  in  China  are  of  very  little  account.  While  at  Can- 
ton I  visited,  by  invitation,  the  house  of  a  wealthy  and 
highly  educated  man,  one  of  the  Howqua  family.  I  found 
him  in  his  library,  surrounded  with  books  and  works  of 
art,  some  of  which  he  had  executed  himself.  His  house 
was  an  extensive  palace,  and  every  thing  about  it,  as  well 
as  his  manners  and  conversation,  indicated  high  culture 
and  refined  taste.  His  little  boy  coming  into  the  room,  I 
asked  the  father  how  many  child,ren  iie  had,  and  his  reply 
was  "  One,  and  two  daughters ;"  as  if  the  daughters  were 
not  deserving  of  the  name  of  children.  The  lady  who  ac- 
companied me,  and  who  soon  afterward  was  admitted  to 
the  ■  wife's  apartments,  laughingly  attempted  to  impress 
upon  his  mind  the  superiority  of  the  feminine  portion  of 
his  household,  including  the  two  daughters.  He  took  it  all 
in  evident  good  humor,  but  it  was  more  than  doubtful 
whether  any  impression  was  made  upon  his  mind  in  that 
direction. 

The  style  of  dress  in  China  is  not  only  different,  as  a 
whole,  from  what  we  are  accustomed  to,  but  there  are 
some  strange  transmutations  which  strike  the  attention  of 
a  traveler.  The  men  very  commonly  wear  a  sort  of  petti- 
coat —  a  loose,  close  garment  reaching  to  the  feet,  while 
the  women,  on  the  other  hand,  wear  trowsers  or  pantaloons, 
literally  and  not  metaphorically.     I  may  say  that  the  lat- 


CHINESE  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS.  1^7 

ter  wear  the  pantaloons  metaphorically  as  well  as  literally, 
for,  contrary  to  the  general  ideas  in  regard  to  the  position 
and  influence  of  woman  in  these  Oriental  countries,  there 
is  no  part  of  the  world  where  family  authority  resides  more 
in  the  woman.  The  wife  may  not  have  the  same  high  po- 
sition outside  of  the  family,  but  maternal  authority  in 
China  is  well  nigh  supreme,  and  grand-maternal  authority 
is  sometimes  still  greater.  A  mother  does  not  lose  her 
right  to  command  her  son  when  he  marries  or  becomes  the 
head  of  a  numerous  household  of  his  own,  but  continues  to 
hold  the  sceptre  over  succeeding  generations. 

The  dress-makers  and  milliners  in  China  are  men  in- 
stead of  women,  and  the  various  trades  and  occupations 
are  singularly  mixed  up.  Having  occasion  to  order  an 
Eastern  hat,  or  topee  as  it  is  called,  as  a  protection  against 
the  sun,  the  rays  of  which  often  pi'ove  fatal,  even  in  the 
cool  season,  I  sent  my  measure  through  a  friend.  A  day 
or  two  after,  word  was  brought  to  my  room  that  the  tailor 
was  at  the  door  waiting  to  see  me.  On  sending  for  him,  I 
found  it  was  the  tailor  who  had  made  my  hat,  and  who 
came  to  see  whether  it  was  a  fit.  In  the  streets  of  a  Chi- 
nese city,  almost  every  man  you  meet  has  a  fan  either  in 
his  hand  or  tucked  in  his  dress,  back  of  liis  neck;  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  women  indulge  freely  in  a  habit  which 
in  pur  country  is  supposed  to  belong  to  the  other  sex — that 
of  smoking.  The  men  wear  their  hair  as  long  as  it  will 
grow,  longer  than  any  modern  reformers  that  I  have  ever 
seen  in  America,  while  the  women  carefully  put  theirs  up. 

In  China,  when  a  man  gets  angry  with  another  and 
wishes  to  be  revenged  upon  him,  instead  of  killing  the  ob- 
ject of  his  hatred  he  kills  himself.  The  principle  on  M^hich 
he  does  it  is  the  supposition  that  the  man  whom  he  hates 
will  be  answerable  for  his  murder,  and  will  be  more  heavi- 
ly punished  by  evil  spirits  in  this  world  and  in  the  world 
to  come  than  if  his  life  had  been  taken.  It  is  certainly, 
for  society,  a  safer  mode  of  administering  vengeance  than 
that  which  prevails  in  civilized  countries,  where  the  pistol 


IQS  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

f 

and  bowie-knife  are  made  to  do  their  work  upon  unsus- 
pecting victims.  The  Canton  poHcemen  have  quite  as  orig- 
inal a  mode  of  performing  their  services.  Instead  of  look- 
ing for  marauders,  they  go  about  the  streets  at  night  sound- 
ing a  loud  rattle  or  tom-tom,  M'hich  may  be  heard  at  least  a 
mile,  and  which  seems  intended  to  warn  all  misdoers  that  an 
officer  of  justice  is  at  hand,  and  that  they  must  accomplish 
what  they  have  to  do  and  get  out  of  the  way  before  he  ar- 
rives. 

The  language  of  China  is  another  of  its  contradictions. 
The  spoken  language  is  never  written,  and  the  written  lan- 
guage is  never  spoken,  so  that  one  may  be  familiar  with 
Chinese  books,  and  not  understand  any  thing  of  the  conver- 
sation of  the  people ;  or  he  may  be  proficient  in  the  collo- 
quial tongue,  and  not  understand  a  word  of  what  lie  reads. 
In  reading  a  book,  the  Chinese  begin  at  the  end  (that  is,  at 
our  end)  and  read  backward ;  they  read  from  top  to  bot- 
tom instead  of  across  the  page,  the  lines  running  down- 
ward, and  numbering  from  right  to  left.  The  running  title 
of  the  book  or  page  is  at  the  side  instead  of  the  top  of  the 
page,  and  the  contents  of  the  chapter  at  the  end  instead 
of  the  beginning.  The  notes,  w^hich  with  us  are  at  the 
bottom  or  in  the  side  margin,  in  Chinese  books  are  at  the 
top  of  the  page. 

The  Cliinese  have  a  custom  quite  peculiar  to  themselves 
of  ordering  their  coffins  and  having  them  sent  home  long 
before  they  have  any  thought  of  dying.  They  take  pecul- 
iar pride  in  selecting  the  best  materials,  having  them  made 
good  and  strong,  and,  when  they  can  afford  it,  in  the  most 
expensive  style,  and  then  they  take  great  pleasure  in  show- 
ing them  to  their  friends,  keeping  them  where  they  may  be 
seen  by  all  who  call.  For  the  same  reason,  perhaps  a  mo- 
tive of  pride,  they  preserve  the  bodies  of  their  friends  in 
the  house  sometimes  for  weeks  and  months  after  death, 
making  a  display  of  the  costly  receptacle. 

I  might  greatly  extend  this  catalogue  of  contrarieties  by 
speaking  of  tlie  manner  in  M'hich  their  schools  are  con- 


CHINESE  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS.  \QC) 

ducted ;  of  the  old  men  flying  kites,  and  the  boys  looking 
on ;  of  wearing  white  instead  of  black  for  mourning ;  of 
all  classes  whitening  their  shoes  with  chalk  instead  of  black- 
ing them ;  of  mounting  the  offside  of  the  horse  when  they 
ride,  etc.     But  this  is  enough. 

China  and  the  Chinese  are  a  great  mystery  to  the  world 
at  large,  and  scarcely  less  of  a  mystery  to  the  dwellers  in 
China  than  to  those  who  never  set  foot  within  the  Flowery 
Land.  The  people  of  the  country  are  a  study,  but  a  study 
in  which  little  actual  progress  is  made.  I  have  heard  those 
who  have  been  here  ten  years  or  more  confess  that  they 
knew  as  little  of  Chinese  character,  and  were  almost  as  un- 
able to  comprehend  the  national  traits,  as  when  they  first 
came  to  this  country.  The  Chinese  are  a  very  stolid,  in- 
communicati^'e,  undemonstrative  race,  so  that  a  foreigner 
may  be  associated  with  them,  or  may  have  them  in  his 
house  as  servants,  and  constantly  in  his  presence  for  years, 
and  know  no  more  about  them  at  the  end  of  this  period 
than  the  first  day  he  saw  them. 

I  have  found  one  key  wdiich,  if  it  does  not  unlock  the 
mysteries  of  the  Chinese  mind,  explains  the  uniform  and 
stereotype  character  whicli  the  nation  has  maintained  for 
centuries,  and  which  it  seems  determined  to  maintain  foi* 
centuries  to  come.  A  Chinaman  is  a  Chinaman  in  every 
part  of  the  empire  and  the  world  over.  He  is  nothing  else, 
and  can  be  made  nothing  else,  and  he  has  been  the  same 
for  long  ages.  One  explanation  of  this  is  to  be  found  in 
the  fact  that  the  educated  and  ruling  class  of  the  country 
are  all  cast  in  one  mould.  The  ideas  of  the  nation  were 
formed  more  than  two  thousand  years  ago ;  and  the  only 
system  of  education  which  has  existed  since  that  time  has, 
per  force,  not  only  compelled  the  people  to  adopt  these 
ideas,  but  has  ground  them  into  their  very  natures,  and 
made  them  a  part  of  the  national  character,  as  much  so  as 
the  peculiar  features  of  the  countenances  of  the  people. 

All  who  have  read  any  thing  about  China  must  have 
met  with  frequent  i-eferences  to  the  " Competiti\e  Exam- 


170  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

iuations,"  which  are  the  great  stimuhis  to  education.  The 
Chinese  are  eminently  a  literary  people,  a  large  portion  of 
them  being  able  to  read  and  write,  while  the  highly  edu- 
cated class  is  very  numerous.  But  this  is  not  the  result 
of  any  such  system  of  general  instruction  as  prevails  in 
American  or  European  countries.  The  schools  do  not  com- 
prise the  mass  of  the  children,  nor  are  they  of  a  high  class. 
The  education  of  the  people  is  in  a  great  measure  volun- 
tary, and,  such  as  it  is,  is  secured  by  its  being  the  only  road 
to  position  in  society  and  to  political  preferment.  The 
"  Competitive  Examination"  is  the  ordeal  through  which 
all  must  pass  successfully  in  order  to  secure  any  high  stand- 
ing, and  this  examination  is  a  sort  of  mould  in  which  the 
Chinese  mind  is  cast,  and  from  which  it  comes  out  uni- 
form in  shape  and  character.  It  is  conducted  on  this  wise : 
The  empire  is  divided  into  provinces  and  districts,  for 
each  of  which  there  is  a  separate  examination  —  the  dis- 
trict, the  provincial,  and  the  imperial.  No  one  is  required 
to  go  through  an  examination,  but  it  is  open  to  all,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  classes,  such  as  the  children  of  exe- 
cutioners, jailers,  prostitutes,  etc.  Before  any  oiie  can  be 
a  candidate  for  the  lowest,  the  district  examination,  he 
must  have  passed  through  a  satisfactory  examination  be- 
fore a  magistrate,  and  must  present  satisfactory  testimo- 
nials as  to  his  parentage,  character,  etc.  At  the  appointed 
time,  the  candidates,  who  usually  number  many  thousands, 
assemble  at  the  capital  city  of  the  district,  and  have  as- 
signed to  them  subjects  for  essays  and  a  poem,  which 
they  are  required  to  produce  without  assistance  and  with- 
in twenty-four  hours.  The  most  extensive  arrangements 
are  made  for  the  accommodation  of  this  vast  number  of 
persons,  and  also  to  prevent  their  obtaining  any  external 
aid.  The  essays  are  carefully  examined  by  government 
officials,  and  so  rigid  is  the  ordeal  tliat  usually  not  more 
than  one  in  a  hundred  passes  the  test.  The  successful 
competitors  receive  the  degree  of  B.A. — not  Bachelor  of 
Arts,  but  "  Beautiful  Ability."     And  the  point  peculiarly 


CHINESE  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS.  \^\ 

noteworthy  is,  that  all  the  themes  are  taken  from  the  writ- 
ings of  the  Chinese  sages.  The  essays  are  not  only  expect- 
ed to  be  a  reflection  of  their  teachings,  but  it  is  impossible 
that  it  should  be  otherwise,  inasmuch  as  the  previous  train- 
ing of  the  candidate  has  been  confined  almost  exclusively 
to  their  writings.  Only  those  who  receive  the  first  degree 
in  the  district  examination  are  allowed  to  compete  for  the 
second  in  the  provincial. 

The  provincial  examination  occurs  once  in  three  years 
at  the  capital  of  the  province,  where  a  large  hall,  as  it  is 
called,  is  devoted  exclusively  to  this  purpose.  The  one  at 
Canton  (the  capital  of  the  province  of  Quang  Tung)  which 
I  visited  is  1330  feet  long,  583  feet  wide,  and  contains  cells, 
arranged  in  long  rows  like  stalls  for  horses,  for  8653  can- 
didates. The  whole  inclosure  is  surrounded  by  a  high 
wall,  and  each  row  of  cells  is  inclosed,  and  under  the  su- 
pervision of  an  officer,  whose  duty  it  is  to  prevent  all  com- 
munication between  the  candidates  or  with  the  outer  world. 
Here  they  are  shut  up,  after  having  been  carefully  search- 
ed, to  prevent  their  taking  in  upon  their  persons  any  thing 
that  might  assist  them  in  the  preparation  of  their  essays. 
Themes,  taken  as  before  from  the  "  Classics,"  or  "  Four 
Books,"  are  then  given  to  them  on  several  successive  days ; 
the  essays  and  poems,  which  must  be  produced  within  a 
given  time,  are  carefully  copied  in  red  ink  to  prevent  rec- 
ognition by  the  examiners  of  the  source  from  which  they 
come,  and  they  are  then  subjected  to  the  rigid  criticism  of 
literary  men  appointed  by  the  imperial  government.  On 
the  close  of  the  examination,  the  names  of  the  successful 
competitors  are  posted  upon  the  outer  wall,  and  are  her- 
alded throughout  the  province.  They  bear  about  the  same 
proportion  to  the  whole  as  before  —  one  to  a  hundred. 
They  receive  the  second  degree,  A.M.  —  not  Masters  of 
Arts,  but  "Advanced  Men" — and  become  candidates  for 
the  third  and  highest  examination,  which  is  held  triennial- 
ly  at  Peking,  and  which  is  equally  rigid  with  the  pre- 
ceding. 


172  AROUXD  THE  WORLD. 

Those  who  pass  and  receive  the  last  degree  become  eli- 
gible to  public  offices,  and  enter  into  the  most  honored  and 
ruling  class  in  the  empire.  Only  two  or  three  hundred 
out  of  the  thousands  who  have  passed  the  lower  succeed  in 
the  imperial  examination  ;  but  in  this,  as  in  the  lower,  they 
liave  the  privilege  of  trying  again,  and  thus  many  present 
themselves  triennially,  term  after  term.  In  this  way  fifty 
or  a  hundred  times  as  many  as  are  successful  in  obtaining 
the  prize,  receive  the  training  and  become  educated  mem- 
bers of  the  communities  to  which  they  belong. 

There  is  no  prize  presented  to  the  mind  of  a  Chinese 
youth  which  is  such  a  stimulus  to  unbending  effort  as  the 
third  degree.  It  comprises  all  that  his  ambition  could  de- 
sire— social  position,  office,  honor,  wealth.  The  successful 
candidate,  on  his  return  to  his  home  from  the  capital,  is 
feasted  and  feted,  and  frequently  a  pagoda  or  some  other 
building  is  erected  in  his  honor,  and  as  a  memorial  of  the 
honor  which  he  reflects  upon  his  native  city. 

I  have  referred  to  this  subject  only  as  giving  something 
of  an  insight  into  Chinese  character,  and  as  showing  wh}' 
it  is  that  the  Chinese  remain  so  much  the  same,  while  oth- 
er nations  are  undero-oino-  chancre.  Thev  are  educated  in 
a  system  of  ideas  which  have  been  handed  down  through 
twenty  centuries ;  the  hoary-lieaded  antiquity  of  these  ideas 
makes  them  venerable  in  their  eyes,  and  it  is  not  strange 
that  they  wish  future  generations  to  travel  in  the  same 
path  which  they  and  their  fathers  have  trod  so  long.  The 
teachings  of  the  Chinese  sages,  Confucius,  Mencius,  and 
others,  are  the  fountain  of  their  ideas.  Few  natives  live 
up  to  their  own  standards,  and  it  is  not  strange  that  the 
Chinese  practically  depart  from  the  wise  instruction  of 
those  sages ;  but  this  is  the  mould  into  which  the  educated 
minds  are  all  poured,  and  it  appears  to  account  for  many 
of  their  national  characteristics. 


BELIGIONS  OF  CHINA.  yj^ 


XII. 

EELIGIONS  OF  CHINA. 

The  prevailing  forms  of  religion  in  China  are  Confu- 
cianism, Buddhism,  and  Tauism.  The  former,  which  is  the 
faith  of  the  educated  and  influential  classes,  is  more  a  sys- 
tem of  philosophy  and  of  morals  than  a  religion.  It  is 
founded  on  the  teachings  of  the  great  Chinese  sage  who 
flourished  about  Ave  centuries  before  the  Christian  era, 
whose  reputed  writings  contain  a  vast  amount  of  practical 
wisdom  and  of  pure  morality.  The  Chinese  owe  much  to 
Confucius,  and  they  would  be  a  much  better  people  if  they 
followed  his  precepts  more  closely.  Buddhism  is  an  im- 
portation from  India,  where  it  had  its  rise,  and  from  which 
it  passed  over  Eastern  Asia  and  to  the  adjacent  islands.  It 
is  now  declining,  and  the  temples  devoted  to  its  worship 
are  in  many  places  going  into  decay.  Tauism  lays  claim 
rather  to  the  vulgar  and  uneducated  classes.  It  is  a  mys- 
tic sort  of  religion,  deals  in  incantations  and  astrology,  and, 
like  spiritualism,  pretends  to  intercourse  with  the  departed 
dead  as  well  as  with  acknowledged  evil  spirits.  The  priests 
are  generally  ignorant  men,  and,  through  mystic  art  and  by 
playing  upon  the  superstition  of  the  people,  maintain  their 
ascendency  over  them. 

There  is  no  more  striking  or  more  universal  trait  of  Chi- 
nese character  than  its  intense  superstition.  The  religious 
element  appears  to  be  wanting;  they  are  simply  supersti- 
tious, and  no  nation  is  more  so.  The  spirits  of  the  air,  the 
earth,  and  the  sea  are  a  constant  terror  to  them,  and  their 
acts  of  worship  are  designed  to  ward  off  such  influences 
rather  than  to  pay  homage  to  any  exalted  being.  They 
use  all  sorts  of  charms  to  keep  off  from  their  persons,  and 
houses,  and  farms  the  world  of  evil  spirits  whicli  in  their 


174  AROUND  THE  WOBLD. 

belief  are  going  liither  and  tliitlier.  Ancestral  worsliip  is 
universal.  No  matter  in  what  part  of  the  world  they  live, 
the  Chinese  wush  to  be  bi'ought  home  when  they  die,  and 
buried  with  the  generations  that  preceded  them  ;  and  while 
they  live  they  pay  great  respect,  a  reverence  amounting  to 
worship,  to  their  departed  ancestors,  making  pilgrimages 
to  their  graves,  adorning  their  tombs,  erecting  tablets  to 
their  memory  in  costly  ancestral  halls,  burning  incense,  joss- 
sticks,  and  candles,  and  presenting  offerings.  They  rever- 
ence their  dead  grandfathers  more  than  their  gods. 

One  of  tlie  most  common  offerings  that  the  Chinese  make 
in  their  worship  is  exceedingly  characteristic — a  sort  of 
counterfeit  money,  pasteboard  dollars  covered  with  tin-foil, 
resembling  silver  dollars,  and  marked  accordingly.  This 
is  sometimes  offered  to  a  large  amount,  counting  it  at  its 
nominal  value,  and  a  Chinaman  will  not  only  pride  him- 
self on  making  an  offering  to  his  god  or  his  ancestor  of 
several  thousand  dollars,  which  cost  liim  only  a  trifle,  but 
he  will  fairly  chuckle  over  the  thought  that  his  stupid  god 
or  his  dead  ancestor,  not  knowing  the  difference  between 
the  counterfeit  and  the  genuine,  will  give  him  credit  for 
the  full  amount  in  good  money. 

They  have  numberless  inferior  gods — the  God  of  the 
Earth,  the  God  of  the  Sea,  tlie  God  of  Wealth,  the  God  of 
Letters,  the  God  of  Thunder,  the  God  of  War,  the  Kitchen 
God,  etc.,  etc.,  which  are  represented  by  grotesque  images 
or  pictures.  The  thieves  and  the  gamblers  each  have  their 
god.  They  make  their  appeals  to  the  gods  by  the  use  of 
the  lot,  every  temple  being  provided  with  a  box  of  sticks 
or  straws  for  the  purpose.  This  superstitious  disposition 
to  rely  upon  the  lot  is  carried  into  all  the  affairs  of  life. 
The  Chinese  are  all  gamblers,  gambling  every  where  and 
for  every  thing.  Even  tlie  little  boys,  as  I  have  often  seen, 
in  going  up  to  a  fi'uit-stand,  almost  invariably  cast  the  die 
to  determine  whether  they  shall  have  double  or  nothing 
for  their  money. 

The  efforts  to  propagate  Christianity  in  China  have  not 


RELIGIONS  OF  CHINA. 


175 


,^^^' 


.^|-^#i  .x^^>..    •  V      -^_ 


CASTING  LOTS    BEFORE   A   GOD. 


met  with  as  much  success  as  in  some  other  countries,  but 
they  are  far  from  being  a  faikire,  and  there  are  manifest 
reasons  which,  while  they  account  for  the  want  of  enlarged 
success  thus  far,  do  not  in  the  least  degree  discourage  those 
who  have  undertaken  the  work.  Nowhere  have  Christian 
missions  had  greater  obstacles  to  overcome.  The  opening 
of  the  free  ports  did  not  open  China  to  free  intercoui'se 
with  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  traditional  seclusion  of  its 
inhabitants,  and  their  hostility  to  foreigners  and  to  all  for- 
eign notions,  exist  to  this  day  in  all  their  force.  The  mass 
of  the  people  regard  all  other  nations  as  outside  barbarians, 
and  it  is  the  interest  of  the  educated  class  to  keep  alive  this 
hatred.  They  salute  missionaries,  as  well  as  others,  in  the 
streets  with  the  title  of  foreign  devils,  not  knowing  or  not 
appreciating  the  motives  with  which  they  come  to  teach  a 
new  religion. 

Foreign  intercourse  thus  far  has  been  carried  on  by  force. 
The  ports  were  opened,  not  by  the  free  consent  of  the  Chi- 
nese, but  by  the  guns  of  foreign  powers.  The  Chinese 
wished  to  live  by  themselves,  neither  interfering  with  oth- 
ers nor  interfered  with ;  but  for  purposes  of  gain,  and  by 


176  AROUND  THE  WOELD. 

force  of  arms,  foreign  nations  compelled  them  to  admit  the 
commerce  and  the  merchants  of  the  world.  This  of  itself 
was  enough  to  prejudice  the  nation  against  missionaries 
who  come  from  the  same  lands  with  the  ships  of  war  that 
battered  down  their  forts  and  their  cities.  It  is  not  strange 
that  Christian  teachers  should  find  it  hard  even  to  gain  the 
ears  of  those  who  have  been  thus  treated.  And,  further- 
more, this  force  was  employed  to  open  China  to  commerce 
for  the  express  purpose  of  compelling  the  authorities  to  ad- 
mit one  of  the  greatest  curses  ever  thrust  upon  any  peo- 
ple. 

The  Opium  War  and  the  present  opium  trafiic  are  a  dark 
blot  upon  the  history  of  the  British  government.  No  one 
can  visit  the  cities  of  China  and  witness  the  debasing  and 
destructive  effects  of  opium  on  the  multitudes  of  miserable 
victims  which  it  is  daily  depriving  of  mental  and  physical 
vigor  and  consigning  to  the  grave ;  no  one  can  read  the 
piteous  words  in  which  the  Chinese  commissioners  have 
besought  the  British  representatives  not  to  force  this  de- 
structive drug  upon  the  nation  ;  no  one  can  recall  the  heart- 
less manner  in  which  such  appeals  were  answered  with 
threats,  and  then  with  broadsides  from  vessels  of  war,  until 
the  way  was  made  open  for  the  wholesale  introduction  of 
opium  into  all  parts  of  the  empire,  and  wonder,  after  such 
proceedings  on  the  part  of  a  Christian  government,  that  the 
Chinese  do  not  seem  well  disposed  to  accept  the  Christian 
religion.  It  is  not  strange  that  they  should  put  the  two  to- 
gether, and  regard  them  with  the  same  hostility.  When  Sir 
Kutherford  Alcock,  the  British  embassador,  was  taking  his 
leave  of  the  government  at  Pekin  to  return  to  England  on 
a  furlough,  Prince  Kung  said  to  him, "  Xow  that  you  are 
about  to  return  to  your  ova\  country,  we  wish  you  to  take 
with  you  your  opium  and  your  missionaries."  Could  any 
thino-  be  more  natural  ?  And  yet  there  are  those  who  im- 
pute  the  slow  progress  of  Christian  missions  in  China  not 
to  the  obstacles  which  have  been  placed  in  their  way,  but 
to  the  cause  of  missions  itself. 


RELIGIONS  OF  CHINA. 


17 


I'RINCE   KUNG. 


The  Rev.  J.  R.Wolfe,  a  Churcli  of  England  missionary  of 
long  experience  in  China,  writes : 

"  There  is  not  a  particle  of  truth,  as  far  as  my  experience 
goes,  in  the  statement  that  the  Chinese  people  are  opposed  to 
tke  propagation  of  Christianity,  or  dislike  the  missionaries 
simply  because  they  are  such.  There  is,  however,  one  thing 
which  the  Chinese  people  dislike,  and  which  has  tended  more 
than  any  thing  else  to  produce  hatred  for  foreigners,  and  cause 
misery  and  ruin  to  multitudes  of  the  Chinese  people  them- 
selves, and  that  one  thing  is  the  act  of  the  British  government 
in  compelling  the  Chinese  people  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet 
to  buy  the  opium,  wdien  they  most  virtuously  and  patriotical- 
ly protested  against  it.  I  have  invariably  found  in  my  jour- 
neys through  the  country  that  this  act  of  the  British  govern- 
ment is  remembered  with  deep  and  lasting  hatred  by  all  class- 
es of  the  people,  and  is  handed  down  from  father'to  son  as 
one  cause  why  the  English  should  be  held  in  everlasting  ha- 
tred and  contempt." 

While  I  was  at  Canton,  one  of  the  missionaries  with 
whom  I  was  crossing  the  river  in  a  ferry-boat  fell  into  con-, 
versation  with  two  or  three  intelligent  Chinese,  and  the  first 

M 


178  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

reply  of  the  person  he  addressed  was, "  You  are  bringino; 
opmm  into  the  country  to  destroy  us,  and  we  do  not  want 
to  have  any  thmg  to  do  with  your  religion." 

In  no  other  country  has  the  personal  example  of  irrelig- 
ious men  from  Christian  lands  done  more  to  prejudice  the 
people  against  Christianity.  Too  many  of  those  who  go 
to  foreign  parts  lay  aside  even  the  restraints  of  morality  by 
which  they  are  bound  at  home,  and  set  before  the  heathen 
an  example  of  license  in  living  which  becomes  a  libel  upon 
the  religion  of  their  native  lands.  The  people  of  those 
countries  can  not  make  the  distinction  which  is  made  at 
home  between  those  who  profess  to  be  governed  by  the 
principles  of  Christianity  and  those  who  do  not ;  all  are 
called  Christians,  and  the  name  and  cause  of  true  religion 
must  bear  the  burden  of  those  immoralities.  I  could  de- 
tail scenes  which  I  have  witnessed  on  these  distant  shores 
that  were  shocking  to  my  own  feelings  as  they  would  be 
to  any  Christian  mind,  and  yet  they  were  all  laid  to  the  ac- 
count of  Christianity. 

The  present  attitude  of  the  foreign  merchants  in  China 
toward  tlie  Chinese  is  another  hinderance  to  the  success  of 
efforts  made  to  promote  their  conversion  to  Christianity. 
The  spirit  of  the  Opium  War  is  still  at  work.  Foreign  mer- 
chants, with  few  exceptions,  go  to  China  without  a  thought  of 
doing  the  Chinese  any  good,  simply  to  make  money.  The 
opportunities  for  making  large  fortunes  have  gone  by.  The 
Chinese  are  o-ettino-  a  measure  of  the  f  oreio;n  trade  into  their 
own  hands.  Trade  with  the  interior  is  still  restricted.  These 
and  other  causes  have  awakened  the  hostilitv  of  foreio-ners 
toward  the  Chinese,  and  now  it  is  difficult  to  say  where  the 
greater  degree  of  hostility  lies,  ^vith  the  Chinese  or  the  for- 
eign traders.  While  I  was  in  China,  the  desire  for  another 
war  was  prevalent  among  the  foreign  residents;  I  might 
say  it  was  almost  universal,  and  the  motive  was  to  break 
down  the  restrictions  upon  trade,  and  give  foreigners  great- 
er opportunities  for  making  money.  After  all  the  injuries 
the  Chinese  have  sustained  in  the  past,  and  with  the  feel- 


RELIOIOXS  OF  CHINA.  I79 

ings  cherished  toward  them  at  the  present  time,  I  do  not  at 
all  wonder  that  thev  are  ready  to  spew  every  foreigner, 
missionary  as  well  as  merchant,  out  of  the  land.  I  do  not 
mean  to  intimate  that  Christian  missionaries  share  in  this 
anti-Chinese  feeling  ;  they  do  not ;  but  the  Chinese  do  not 
comprehend  the  different  motives  which  actuate  the  two 
classes. 

The  difficulty  of  acquiring  the  language  so  as  to  become 
familiar  with  it  has  been  a  ijreat  obstacle.  A  sino;le  fact 
will  o-ive  some  idea  of  this.  Throuo-h  the  instriunentalitv 
of  the  American  Presbyterian  Mission,  metal  types  have 
come  into  use  in  printing  Chinese.  The  Mission  Press  at 
Shanghai  is  the  most  extensive  printing  establishment  in 
the  empire.  On  entering  it,  I  was  confronted  with  a  series 
of  amphitheatres,  in  the  interior  of  each  of  which  stood  a 
compositor,  and  I  saw  at  a  glance  the  immensity  of  the 
work  which  every  one  who  learns  to  read,  or  write,  or  print 
the  language  has  to  encounter.  Each  of  these  amphithea- 
tres was  what  printers  call  a  case,  containing,  not  twenty- 
six  letters,  as  in  English  printing  offices,  but  more  than 
six  thousand  different  characters  or  types,  and,  with  the 
combinations,  more  than  thirteen  thousand.  The  Diction- 
ary of  Dr.  Morrison  contained  forty  thousand  separate  char- 
acters, which  must  become  familiar  to  the  eye,  and  various 
inflections  must  be  given  to  similar  words  to  express  the 
ideas  associated,  or  one  may  fail  to  express  what  he  means. 
In  no  language  are  ludicrous  errors  more  apt  to  be  made 
by  gi^'ing  a  wrong  accent  or  inflection,  and  thus  entirely 
chanffino;  the  sense. 

But,  notwithstanding  all  these  difficulties,  a  great  work 
lias  been  already  accomplished.  Few  even  of  those  who 
are  familiar  with  the  current  work  of  missions  in  China 
have  any  adequate  idea  of  what  has  actually  been  done. 
Protestant  missionaries  are  almost  the  only  persons  who 
have  ever  mastered  the  language.  ISTot  one  merchant  in  a 
hundred,  scarcely  one  in  a  thousand,  makes  even  the  at- 
tempt to  acquire  it  either  for  reading  or  speaking.     All 


130  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

the  Chinese  Dictionaries  for  English  students  have  been 
made  by  missionaries.  The  only  writers  who  have  pre- 
pared books  in  Chinese  designed  to  instruct  and  elevate  the 
people  have  been  missionaries.  I  have  before  me  a  cata- 
logue of  nearly  a  hundred  works  in  Chinese  on  various 
sciences,  history,  geography,  medicine,  law,  etc.,  all  of  which 
have  been  prepared  by  Protestant  missionaries.  They  have 
done  more  than  any  and  all  other  men  to  promote  a  knowl- 
edge of  Chinese  literature.  They  have  established  and 
maintained  in  Chinese  cities  hospitals  which  have  been  a 
great  blessing  to  the  people,  and  which  are  doing  much  to 
prepare  the  way  for  the  reception  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
At  Canton  a  hospital  was  established  in  1835  by  Dr.  Peter 
Parker,  then  a  missionary,  which  has  been  a  house  of  mercy 
to  hundreds  of  thousands.  During  the  year  that  I  was  at 
Canton  there  had  been  26,457  patients,  many  of  whom  re- 
(juired  skillful  surgical  treatment.  During  my  stay  in  that 
<!ity  several  surgical  operations  of  the  most  delicate  and 
(lithcult  nature  were  performed.  The  hospital  is  now  in 
charge  of  a  skillful  physician  and  surgeon,  Dr.  Kerr,  of  the 
American  Presbyterian  Board. 

Nor  have  the  labors  of  the  missionaries  been  without  im- 
portant spiritual  results.  In  1850  all  who  had  professed 
themselves  Christians  did  not  number  four  hundred.  Xow 
there  are  about  six  thousand  communicants  in  the  various 
mission  churclies.  The  Presbytery  of  Xingpo  has  seven 
churches  and  about  live  hundred  communicants.  At  Foo 
Chow  there  are  about  one  thousand  commmiicants.  At 
Amoy,  a  station  which  was  first  occupied  by  Pev.  David 
Abeel,  the  devoted  missionar}'  whose  fervid  and  eloquent 
appeals  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  missions  will  never  be 
forgotten  by  any  who  heard  them  in  his  native  land,  there 
were,  when  1  was  in  China,  nearly  thirteen  hundred  com- 
municants, with  thirty-two  stations  and  twenty-eight  chap- 
els, chiefly  in  the  country  round  about.  These  are  only 
some  of  the  fruits  which  have  been  gathered. 

In  no  part  of  the  world  is  the  medical  branch  of  the  mis- 


BELIGIONS  OF  CMIXA.  \^\ 

sionary  work  of  more  importance  tlian  iu  China.  There 
are  many  parts  of  the  empire  where  a  missionary,  in  going- 
out  to  preach  the  Gospel,  or  to  distribute  books  or  tracts, 
would  be  driven  away  by  a  mob,  if  he  did  not  fare  worse  : 
indeed,  this  is  true  of  almost  the  whole  interior  of  the  coun- 
try, but  there  is  not  a  single  spot,  city  or  comitry,  town  or 
village,  where  a  medical  missionary  may  not  at  any  time 
set  himself  down,  and,  within  an  hour,  make  himself  per- 
fectly at  home  with  the  people — administering  to  the  sick 
and  suffering,  and,  at  the  same  time,  preaching  the  Gospel 
with  entire  fi-eedom.  It  is  simply  marvelous,  when  we  re- 
member the  hostility  of  the  Chinese  to  foreigners,  that 
physicians  have  such  ready  access  to  the  people,  although 
there  is  a  reason  for  it.  The  Chinese  have  no  thoroughly 
educated  physicians.  Their  aversion  to  handling  the  dead 
is  so  great  that  they  have  no  students  of  anatom}^  The 
onlv  reallv  educated  phvsician  of  whom  I  heard  was  edu- 
cated  in  America.  At  the  same  time,  they  seem  to  have 
implicit  faith  in  the  medical  skill  of  foreign  physicians, 
and  in  their  presence  lay  aside  their  national  hatred. 

Dr.  Kerr  gave  me  an  account  of  a  visit  he  once  made,  in 
company  with  another  missionary,  a  preacher  of  the  Gos- 
pel, to  an  interior  town  which  had  been  the  scene  of  violent 
demonstrations  against  the  Fan-laoai  (the  foreign  devils). 
As  soon  as  he  found  a  place  to  sit  down,  and  announced 
the  object  of  his  visit,  he  was  suiTounded  by  an  eager 
crowd,  and  all  day  long  he  ministered  to  the  sick,  who  came 
to  him  by  hundreds,  while  his  companion  preached  without 
any  molestation.  But  for  his  being  a  physician,  they  would 
have  been  mobbed,  if  not  torn  to  pieces.  "When  they  went 
to  their  boat  at  night  they  had  a  perfect  ovation ;  the  streets 
were  lined  with  people  who  were  attracted  by  the  benevo- 
lent character  of  their  visit. 

The  first  Sabbath  that  I  spent  at  Canton  I  visited  in  the 
morning  the  chapels  and  schools  of  the  London  "Wesleyan 
Missionary  Society,  and  heard  a  sermon  delivered  with 
great  earnestness  and  solenmity  by  a  native  preachei.    The 


182  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

whole  service  was  in  Chinese.  The  livmns  which  were 
sung  were  "  Kock  of  Ages,"  and  "  Grace,  'tis  a  charming 
sound."  The  congregation  gave  close  attention,  and  the 
whole  scene  was  impressive.  At  the  close  of  the  preach- 
ing I  went  into  the  schools  and  examined  the  young  chil- 
dren in  some  of  the  general  facts  of  the  Old  and  New  Tes- 
tament histories,  and  I  am  sure  that  no  children  of  the  same 
age  in  America  could  give  more  ready  or  intelligent  an- 
swers to  the  inquiries  which  were  made.  From  there  I  went 
to  the  Treasury-street  Chapel,  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Preston,  of  the  American  Presbyterian  Board,  a  neat  and 
attractive  building,  situated  in  the  very  heart  of  the  old 
city,  and  on  one  of  its  great  thoroughfares.  The  front  is 
always  open,  and  passers-by  drop  in  to  hear  the  Word  spo- 
ken, some  staying  through  the  service,  but  most  moving  on 
af tei'  listening  for  a  while.  Some  came  in  with  heavy  bur- 
dens on  their  heads,  and  set  them  down  while  they  listened. 
One  lad  came  briugiug  two  cages  of  birds,  which  he  placed 
on  the  floor.  He  soon  became  evidently  interested  in  what 
he  heard.  This  service  is  kept  up  every  day,  and  thousands 
thus  hear  the  message.  There  are  several  such  places  open 
in  the  city  in  connection  with  the  different  missions,  and, 
although  the  speakers  are  sometimes  interrupted  with  ques- 
tions and  objections,  they  are  never  molested. 

The  foreign  merchants,  who  are  absorbed  in  their  com- 
mercial enterprises,  as  a  general  thing,  take  little  interest 
in  the  missionary  work,  or  in  the  elevation  of  the  Chinese. 
But  one  honorable  exception  I  desire  to  name  (there  are  oth- 
ers), that  of  the  house  of  Oliphant  &  Co.  Not  only  at  home, 
but  in  China,  have  they  made  large  gifts  to  promote  the 
cause,  and  they  have  more  than  once  placed  their  vessels  at 
the  disposal  of  the  missionaries.  In  1835  they  gave  to  Mr. 
Medhurst  and  a  companion  in  his  work  the  use  of  a  vessel 
for  a  missionary  voyage  of  some  months  among  the  ports 
of  China,  and  the  following  year  they  sent  out  from  Amer- 
ica another  vessel  to  be  employed  in  the  same  service. 
Their  example  is  one  which  might  better  be  followed  than 


MACAO,  SINGAPORE,  AND  PENANG.  ^33 

tliat  of  men  who  seek  only  to  make  o;ain  out  of  this  hea- 
then  people,  and  do  nothing  to  elevate  them,  or  to  make 
them  acquainted  with  the  Gospel  from  heaven. 


XIII. 

MACAO,  SINGAPORE,  AND  PENANG. 

The  sunniest,  brightest  spot  that  I  saw  on  the  whole 
coast  of  China  is  Macao.  For  this  reason  I  do  not  regret 
reserving  a  ^dsit  to  it  as  the  last  before  leaving  for  other 
Oriental  lands.  It  is  but  a  few  hours'  sail,  in  a  pleasant 
American  river  steamer,  from  Ilona;  Kono-. 

On  our  way  down  the  baj  the  captain  entertained  us 
with  stories  of  his  encounters  with  Chinese  pirates,  which 
still  infest  these  rivers  and  bays.  I  had  seen  some  speci- 
mens— desperate-looking  fellows — in  the  criminal  court  at 
Canton,  where  they  were  undei'going  torture,  a  Chinese 
mode  of  examination ;  the  judges  informing  us  that  they 
had  been  on  the  rack  several  hours,  and  were  still  un^villing 
to  confess  their  crimes.  As  we  were  runnino-  down  the  bav 
to  Macao,  the  captain  informed  us  that  the  waters  were  still 
swarming  with  these  desperadoes,  who  were  watching  ev- 
ery opportunity  for  seizing  vessels,  from  a  steamer  down  to 
a  row-boat,  and  that  they  would  not  hesitate  to  put  to  death 
all  on  board  who  stood  in  the  way  of  their  rapine.  One 
way  in  which  they  accomplish  their  purpose  is  for  a  large 
number  to  take  passage  on  a  steamer  on  which  there  are 
usually  very  few  European  passengers,  and  to  seize  the 
NGSsel..  They  have  a  strong  temptation  to  do  this  in  the 
fact  that  these  steamers  often  carry  treasure  back  and  forth. 
We  had  then  on  board  a  large  amount  of  specie ;  but  the 
captain  mildly  assured  us  we  had  nothing  to  fear  fi-om  the 
crowd  of  Chinese  on  deck  below,  as  he  had  an  armed  man 
at  each  companion-way,  who  would  instantly  give  the  alarm 


1S4  AROUND  THE  WOMLD. 

if  any  attempt  to  seize  the  little  steamer  should  be  made. 
All  this  was  very  assuring ;  but  I  found  his  stories  far  more 
than  confirmed  in  the  records  of  Ilong  Kong,  which  I  aft-, 
erward  examined.  They  contained,  for  every  year,  so 
many  accounts  of  piracies  in  the  vicinity,  that  it  seemed  to 
be  the  commonest  of  crimes.  Some  were  committed  in 
the  very  neighborhood  of  Ilong  Kong,  and  many  on  the 
river  between  that  place  and  Canton. 

One  of  the  regular  passenger  steamers  between  Ilong 
Kong  and  Canton,  not  long  before,  was  the  scene  of  a  des- 
perate encounter  with  these  river  pirates,  who  had  come 
on  board  with  the  intention  of  taking  the  vessel  and  mur- 
dering all  its  officers.  They  seized  their  opportunity,  shot 
the  pilot  and  several  of  the  officers,  but  the  captain,  with 
the  aid  of  a  lady,  who  handed  out  to  him  through  a  win- 
dow one  musket  after  another,  kept  them  at  bay  until  he 
liad  assistance,  and  the  ruffians  were  overpowered  or  killed. 
There  are  no  people  that  w^ould  plan  an  enterprise  more 
remorselessly  than  the  Chinese,  or  carry  it  out  in  colder 
blood.  Indeed,  from  all  that  I  have  learned  of  Chinese 
character,  they  appear  to  me  more  destitute  of  that  element 
of  our  nature  that  we  call  conscience  than  any  other  peo- 
ple I  have  ever  known. 

While  we  were  listening  to  the  captain's  piratical  yarns 
the  citv  of  Macao  hove  in  siffht.  It  stretches  along  a  beau- 
tif  ul  bay  and  up  the  hill-sides,  and,  with  its  cream-colored 
stone  buildings,  looks  very  much  like  an  Italian  town  on 
Lake  Como  or  Maggiore.  Its  whole  appearance,  as  you 
approach  it,  is  picturesque.  Macao,  in  reality,  is  not  a  Chi- 
nese town.  It  was  first  occupied  by  the  Portuguese  in  1557, 
and  is  said  to  have  been  allowed  them  as  a  residence  and  a 
trading-place  on  account  of  their  efforts  in  destroying  the 
pirates  which  infested  the  coast.  During  the  last  century, 
while  the  trade  of  the  East  India  Company  with  Canton 
was  at  its  height,  it  enjoyed  a  high  degree  of  prosperity, 
and  became  the  resort  and  the  home  of  foreigners  from  all 
nations.     It  has  more  than  once  proved  a  refuge  for  for- 


MACAO,  SINGAPORE,  AND  PENANG. 


185 


eign  merchants  when  they  have  been  driven  out  of  the 
ports  of  China,  and  it  was  for  a  long  time  the  resort  of 
Christian  missionaries  when  they  conld  not  be  admitted 
into  the  empire  itself.  It  received  a  fatal  blow  when,  bv 
the  treaty  of  1842,  the  ports  of  China  were  thrown  open, 
and  Hong  Kong  became  a  British  colony.  It  is  now  al- 
most entirely  deserted  by  foreigners  for  purposes  of  trade, 
though  still  i-esorted  to,  especially  by  invalids,  on  account 
of  the  salubrity  of  its  climate.  Its  inhabitants  are  almost 
exclusively  Chinese  and  mixed-breed,  descendants  of  the 
Portuguese. 


Macao  was  never  actually  ceded  to  the  Portuguese. 
They  continued  very  reluctantly  to  pay  the  imperial  gov- 
ernment an  annual  rental  of  500  taels  until  1846,  when  an 
order  was  given  by  the  Queen  of  Portugal  that  the  Chinese 
Custom-house  on  the  island  should  be  closed,  and  the  sem- 
blance of  Chinese  authority  obliterated.  The  execution  of 
this  order  by  the  Portuguese  governor  Amiral  awakened 
intense  hostility  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese  population  of 


186  ^^  ^  ^^^  T^^  WORLD. 


the  island,  which  was  no  doubt  fostered  bv  the  officials  of 
the  empire.  The  governor,  soon  after,  in  opening  a  new 
street,  removed  several  tombs — a  desecration  which,  in 
their  eyes,  afforded  good  cause  for  visiting  their  vengeance 
upon  him.  As  he  was  one  day  riding  on  the  public  drive 
near  the  Barrier,  attended  by  an  aid-de-camp,  several  Chi- 
namen rushed  upon  him,  dragged  him  from  his  horse,  and 
severed  his  head  and  his  hand  from  his  body  (the  other 
hand  having  been  lost  in  battle).  The  whole  thing  was 
done  so  instantaneously  that,  although  in  open  day,  no  one 
could  detect  the  ruffians.  The  head  and  hand  were  sent  as 
trophies  to  Canton,  whence  they  were  afterward  obtained 
by  negotiation.  This  transaction  led  to  the  assertion  by 
the  Portuguese  of  exclusive  jurisdiction  over  the  island, 
l)ut  the  claim  has  never  been  acknowledged  by  the  Chi- 
nese. The  island  has  become  the  chief  seat  of  the  coolie 
or  Chinese  slave-trade,  great  numbers  being  shipped  from 
this  port. 

The  European  aspect  of  the  town,  utterly  unlike  the 
low,  dull,  gloomy  Chinese  cities,  makes  it  very  pleasing  to 
the  eye  after  visiting  the  latter.  There  are  a  number  of 
tine  buildings,  some  of  them  beautifully  situated  on  hills 
embraced  within  the  city  limits,  and  affording  charming- 
views  of  the  town,  the  harbor,  and  the  adjacent  waters. 
Some  of  the  old  Portuguese  churches  are  elaborate  speci- 
mens of  architecture.  The  f agade  and  ruins  of  St.  Paul's, 
which  was  destroyed  by  fire  many  years  ago,  are  very  pic- 
turesque. The  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  Sorrow,  a  quaint 
old  building,  occupies  the  crest  of  a  hill,  which  affords  one 
of  the  finest  view^s  of  the  town  and  its  surroundings.  A 
large  wooden  cross,  twenty -five  or  thirty  feet  in  height, 
stands  in  front  of  the  church,  and  overlooks  the  bay.  A 
curious  legend  is  related  as  its  history.  A  devout  (or  un- 
devout)  sailing-master,  some  time  in  the  last  century,  in 
a  violent  storm  at  sea,  when  he  had  little  hope  of  again 
seeing  land,  made  a  vow  that,  if  his  vessel  should  be  pre- 
served, he  would  erect  a   cross   out  of  the  mainmast  in 


MACAO,  SINGAPORE,  AND  PENANG. 


is; 


ODOLIE    liAEKACOO>'S   AT   MAOAO. 


front  of  this  church,  and  he  fulfilled  his  vow.  The  church 
is  called  the  "  Sailors'  Church,"  and  a  gentleman  who  has 
long  resided  at  Macao  assured  me  that  it  is  a  common  cus- 
tom with  the  sailors  to  bring  various  parts  of  the  rigging 
of  their  ships  up  the  steep  hill  to  this  church  to  have  them 
blessed. 

A  beautiful  though  lonely  spot  is  known  as  Camoens's 
Garden,  where  the  great  poet,  the  author  of  the  Lusiad, 
walked,  and  mused,  and  Ma^ote.  The  grotto  wdiich  bears  his 
name,  and  a  monument  to  his  memory,  is  a  curious  forma- 
tion of  rocks  in  the  midst  of  extensive  grounds,  that  are 
laid  out  with  great  taste,  and  shaded  with  large  Oriental 
trees.  It  is  just  such  a  spot  as  a  poet  would  select  for  the 
indulgence  of  his  fancy,  and  it  has  probably  lost  none  of 
its  beauty  by  the  lapse  of  time.  Camoens  w^as  born  in 
1524.     lie  came  to  the  East  in  1553,  and  for  a  satire  upon 


188  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

the  Viceroy  of  Goa  was  banished  to  Macao.  Just  at  the 
entrance  to  the  beautiful  grounds  of  which  I  have  spoken 
stands  the  Enghsh  Chapel,  and  immediately  behind  it  is 
the  Protestant  Cemetery,  composed  of  a  series  of  terraces, 
the  whole  very  carefully  and  neatly  kept.  It  is  just  such 
a  quiet  and  beautiful  spot  as  any  one  might  choose  to  lie 
down  in  and  sleep  till  the  final  waking.  It  is  consecrated, 
not  for,  but  by  the  graves  of  Morrison,  the  first  and  one 
of  the  noblest  of  the  band  of  missionaries  to  the  Chinese, 
and  several  members  of  his  family.  Other  missionaries 
were  also  buried  here. 

The  last  evening  of  our  stay  in  Macao,  Captain  Endicott 
(a  name  well  known  in  Kew  York),  who  had  resided  here 
more  than  thirty  years,  and  of  whose  death  I  have  heard 
with  sorrow  since  leaving  China,  drove  us  out  to  the  Bar- 
rier, making  the  entire  circuit  of  the  island,  a  charming 
drive  of  several  miles,  much  of  it  along  the  sea-shore.  On 
our  way  we  passed  the  temple  in  which  the  treaty  with 
China  was  concluded  and  signed  by  the  United  States 
Commissioner,  the  Hon.  Caleb  Cushing,  and  the  Chinese 
Commissioner  Keying,  the  former  not  being  allowed  to  en- 
ter China  proper.  The  Chinese,  like  the  Japanese,  have 
no  special  reverence  for  their  temples,  and  often  use  them 
for  secular  purposes. 

We  returned  to  Hong  Kong  from  Macao,  and  made  our 
preparations  for  another  voyage  upon  the  restless,  treach- 
erous China  Sea,  the  worst  of  all  seas  on  which  I  liave  had 
occasion  to  sail.  Before  embarking  for  Calcutta  we  were 
assured  that  at  this  season  of  the  year,  the  last  of  Novem- 
ber, we  should  have  a  delightful  passage  to  Singapore, 
with  only  enough  of  the  northeast  monsoon  to  keep  the 
air  from  stagnating,  and  the  sea  from  becoming  like  mol- 
ten glass.  But  I  have  learned  to  put  little  faith  in  predic- 
tions of  the  weather,  even  by  sailors,  having  been  obliged 
so  often  to  interpret  prophecies  by  contraries.  I  now  wait 
for  the  weather  to  come  before  building  upon  it  any  sub- 
stantial castles.     We  found  the  predictions  in  regard  to 


MACAO,  SINGAPORE,  AND  PENANG.  189 

this  voyage  as  much  at  fault  as  ever.  But,  before  writ- 
ing out  my  log,  let  me  introduce  the  reader  to  our  ship, 
with  its  passengers  and  crew. 

There  is  no  regular  line  of  mail  steamers  between  Ilong 
Kong  and  Calcutta  direct.  The  English  Peninsular  and 
Oriental  mail  steamer  (always  called  in  the  East  "  the  P. 
and  O.  Line")  leaves  Hong  Kong  once  a  month,  touches  at 
Singapore,  and  then  runs  across  to  Point  de  Galle,  the 
southern  cape  of  the  island  of  Ceylon,  where  the  passen- 
gers for  Calcutta  are  transferred  to  another  steamer,  which 
touches  at  Madras  on  its  way  up  to  the  Hoogly.  The 
Erencli  steamers  of  the  Messageries  Im^eriales  also  touch 
at  Singapore  and  Ceylon,  but  do  not  go  to  Calcutta. 

There  are  large,  fine  steamers,  engaged  principally  in 
the  opium  trade,  which  take  passengers  back  and  forth, 
and,  as  there  is  no  opium  going  to  India,  the  voyage  in 
that  direction  is  made  very  comfortably.  They  touch  at 
Singapore  and  Penaiig.  In  one  of  these,  the  Hindostan, 
Captain  de  Smidt,  we  took  passage.  Going  on  board,  we 
stowed  ourselves  and  our  luggage  away,  and  then  began  to 
look  around  for  our  fellow-passengers,  who,  with  the  crew, 
formed  such  a  curious  commingling  of  races,  that  I  took 
the  trouble  to  ask  the  captain  for  his  part  of  the  catalogue, 
which  I  found  to  be  as  follows  :  The  captain  was  a  Bel- 
gian by  parentage,  born  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  a  Brit- 
ish subject,  and  had  spent  all  his  life  upon  the  sea,  a  true 
cosmopolitan.  He  was,  by  the  way,  a  noble  specimen  of 
the  sailor,  well  educated  and  well  read,  very  affable  and 
communicative.  The  first  officer  was  a  Scotchman,  the 
others  Scotch  and  English ;  the  quartermasters  were  Por- 
tuguese, the  gunner  half  Malay  and  half  Portuguese,  the 
carpenter  a  Chinese,  the  firemen  Chittagong  Indians,  who 
stand  the  heat  better  than  any  others ;  the  crew,  a  sa^'age- 
looking  set  of  fellows,  were  Malays,  Bengalese,  Hindoos, 
Persians,  Arabians,  Bombay,  Muscat,  and  Zanzibar  men  — 
one  or  two  of  them  real  African  neo-roes. 

Among  the  passengers  we  mmibered  eight  Americans, 


190  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

who  took  possession  of  one  side  of  the  deck,  which,  in  an- 
ticipation of  hot  weather,  was  to  be  onr  home  day  and  night 
for  nearly  a  fortnight.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  deck 
were  several  wealthy  Jews,  the  ladies  in  a  blaze  of  dia- 
monds as  they  came  on  deck ;  three  Parsees,  two  of  whom, 
a  gentleman  and  his  wife,  were  our  fellow-passengers  on 
crossing  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Two  Armenians  subsequently 
came  on  board.  The  deck-passengers  were  Chinese,  Ben- 
galese,  Hindoos,  Mohammedans,  and  I  do  not  know  what 
all.  We  did  not  want  for  variety ;  but,  strange  to  say,  not- 
withstanding the  numerous  nationalities,  and  the  fact  that 
the  most  of  our  passengers  w^ere  residents  of  Oriental  coun- 
tries, the  only  language  that  was  ordinarily  spoken  was  En- 
glish. This  enabled  us  all — Jews  and  Gentiles,  Parsees, 
Hindoos,  Mohammedans,  and  Armenians — to  become  well 
acquainted,  and  we  had  a  very  pleasant  time  during  the 
voyage.  Nor  was  religious  conversation  debarred.  Ori- 
ental and  Western  politeness  allowed  us  to  speak  freely  of 
each  other's  views  without  any  offense  being  given.  It 
would  be  rare  to  find  so  many  religions  represented  where 
such  freedom  of  intercourse  and  of  conversation  was  en- 
joyed. 

We  had  but  fairly  o;ot  out  of  the  harl^or  and  from  under 
the  shelter  of  the  headlands  when  we  caught  the  monsoon, 
blowing  fresh  and  strong.  It  upset  all  our  calculations  in 
more  senses  than  one,  but  the  sweet  assurance  was  given  us 
that  the  wind  would  go  down  as  we  got  farther  south.  On 
the  contrary,  the  farther  south  we  ran  the  more  heavily  the 
wind  blew.  There  was  one  consolation — it  was  a  fair  wind, 
but  as  it  increased,  the  huge  waves  came  chasing  us  from 
behind,  threatening  all  the  while  to  overwhelm  us.  Not 
being  able  to  move  about  much  of  the  time,  we  sat  or  lay 
on  deck  watching  the  great  seas  as  they  towered  above  the 
stern,  coming  on  with  all  their  force,  as  if  determined  the 
next  time  to  pounce  upon  us  and  wash  us  all  from  the  deck ; 
but  our  ship  never  failed  to  obey  the  law  of  gravitation 
which  gives  the  highest  place  to  the  lighter  bod}',  and  just 


MACAO,  SINGAPORE,  AND  PENANG.  IQl 

at  tliG  critical  moment  she  would  lift  her  stern  ffracefullv 
and  allow  the  swell  to  pass  nnderneath.  This  she  contin- 
ued to  do  for  five  days,  tlie  monsoon  increasing  all  the 
while,  and  tossing  us  up  and  down  most  inconveniently. 

In  the  evening  of  the  fifth  day  out,  when  we  were  with- 
in about  two  degrees  of  the  equator,  dark  clouds  were  seen 
gathering  in  the  west,  which  soon  overspread  the  sky  and 
the  sea,  the  blackness  of  which  was  relieved  only  by  fierce 
flashes  of  lightning.  Presently  the  rain  came  down  in  a 
tropical  deluge;  and  while  the  elements  were  all  in  wild 
commotion,  the  engine  suddenly  stopped,  the  ship  swung 
round  into  the  trough  of  the  sea  as  helpless  as  a  log,  and 
then  commenced  that  awful  rollino;  of  the  vessel  which  is 
far  more  terrible  than  drivius::  before  or  even  facing  a 
storm.  The  heat  was  too  great  for  us  to  go  below,  and  we 
preferred  to  remain  on  deck,  sheltered  onl}-  by  an  awning, 
and  take  the  chances  of  the  storm ;  but  as  the  ship  rolled 
heavily  from  one  side  to  the  other,  as  if  about  to  roll  com- 
pletely over,  we  were  thrown  about  or  compelled  to  cling 
fast  to  whatever  was  within  reach.  Some  of  the  passengers 
were  overcome  witli  terror,  expecting  by  the  next  lurch  of 
the  ship  to  be  pitched  into  the  sea.  One  poor  Jewess,  who 
came  on  board  with  a  fortune  on  her  person  in  the  shape 
of  diamonds  and  emeralds,  shrieked  aloud  and  called  upon 
God  to  save  her.  It  was  to  all  of  us  more  or  less  a  scene 
of  terror,  aggravated  by  the  absolute  blackness  of  darkness 
that  surrounded  us.  As  soon  as  the  ship  began  to  recover 
lierself,  a  voice  by  my  side  commenced  singing, 

'■  Tossed  upon  life's  raging  billows, 
Sweet  it  is,  O  Lord,  to  know 
Thou  didst  press  a  sailor's  pillow, 

And  canst  feel  a  sailor's  woe. 
Never  slumbering,  never  sleeping, 

Though  the  night  be  dark  and  drear; 
Thou,  the  faithful,  watch  art  keeping ; 
'All,  all's  well,'  thy  constant  cheer." 

The  moment  that  the  engine  stopped  I  comprehended 
the  cause.  I  had  learned  from  the  captain  that  we  were 
drawing  near  a  rocky  part  of  the  China  Sea,  in  wliicli  were 


192  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

sevei'al  islands,  and  in  the  thick  darkness  and  descending- 
torrents  of  rain  it  was  impossible  to  see  the  course ;  we 
might  at  any  moment  strike  a  rock  or  run  ashore ;  it  was 
safer  to  let  the  ship  drift  than  to  drive  her  with  the  engine. 
The  storm  of  rain  became  so  severe  that  we  were  at  length 
compelled  to  go  below,  but  all  night  long  the  ship  was  start- 
ing and  stopping,  and  when  the  morning  came,  instead  of 
being  to  the  west  of  Bintang  Island,  as  we  should  have 
been,  we  had  drifted  with  the  currents  thirty  miles  to  the 
east.  The  morning  light  was  very  pleasant  to  the  eyes, 
and  so  was  the  sight  of  Singapore,  with  its  beautiful  groves 
of  palm,  and  its  substantial  buildings  stretching  along  the 
t^hore  for  one  or  two  miles. 

"VVe  did  not  at  all  regret  to  say  farewell  to  the  China 
Seas.  Three  times  had  we  tried  them,  and  found  them  al- 
ways turbulent,  although  wq  had  taken  them  at  the  best 
season  of  the  year.  Often,  while  tossing  on  the  waves  be- 
tween Hong  Kong  and  Singapore,  was  I  reminded  of  a  voy- 
age made  over  the  same  sea  by  a  beloved  fi'iend,  Walter  M. 
Lowrie,  who  subsequently  perished  by  the  hands  of  pirates 
near  Shanghai.  He  came  to  China  in  1842.  On  the  18th 
of  June  of  that  year  he  left  Macao  for  Singapore  in  a  sail- 
ino;  vessel,  and,  after  being  driven  hither  and  thither  bv 
tempests  for  two  months,  the  ship  put  in  to  Manilla.  On 
the  18th  of  September  he  sailed  again  for  Singapore,  but 
on  the  25th  of  the  same  month  the  ship  struck  a  hidden 
rock  far  out  at  sea,  and  was  wrecked.  The  crew  and  pas- 
sengers took  to  the  boats,  and  after  spending  five  days  un- 
der a  burning  sun  without  shelter,  and  with  little  hope  of 
■seeing  land,  tliev  at  leno'th  reached  the  island  of  Luban. 
There  he  found  a  vessel  bound  for  Hong  Kong,  in  which 
he  returned  almost  to  the  point  from  which  he  started,  hav- 
ing been  gone  just  four  months  on  a  fruitless  voyage.  Five 
years  afterward,  as  he  was  on  his  way  from  Shanghai  to 
Ningpo  in  a  native  boat,  he  was  attacked  by  pirates  and 
thrown  into  the  sea.  While  struggling  in  the  water,  he  cast 
the  Bible,  which  he  had  kept  in  his  hand,  into  the  boat,  and 


MACAO,  SINGAPORE,  AND  PENANG.  J 93 

then  sank.  This  precious  relic  was  saved  and  restored  to 
his  friends,  but  his  body  still  sleeps  in  the  sea.  He  was 
one  of  the  noblest  of  that  band  who  have  devoted  their 
lives  to  tlie  service  of  Christ  and  his  Church  in  the  evan- 
gelization of  China. 

A  few  miles  northeast  of  Singapore  we  crossed  the  ISOth 
meridian  west  or  east  of  Xew  York,  being  then  precisely 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  globe  to  our  home,  l^either 
did  we  fall  from  the  deck  of  the  ship,  nor  did  the  ship  fall 
from  the  sea,  nor  did  the  sea  fall  off  from  the  land,  but  all 
tilings  continued  to  gravitate  as  at  home.  We  were  just 
twelve  hours  in  time  from  the  friends  whom  we  had  left 
behind ;  it  was  midnight  with  us,  but  high  noon  with  them. 
This  might  have"  been  the  proper  time  to  drop  a  day  in  our 
reckoning;  and  right  glad  should  we  have  been  to  drop 
four  or  five  davs,  if  we  could  have  avoided  the  tossino;s  of 
the  sea.  This  part  of  the  voyage  over,  we  sailed  at  length 
on  a  bright,  beautiful  morning  into  the  harbor  of  Singa- 
pore. 

It  was  a  delightful  sensation,  after  five  days  and  nights 
of  incessant  tossing,  to  feel  once  more  at  rest,  and  still  more 
delightful  were  our  sensations  when  we  stepped  ashore  and 
found  ourselves  in  an  earthly  paradise,  the  most  enchant- 
ing spot  that  I  have  looked  upon  in  any  latitude  or  in  any 
clime.  As  I  wandered  among  the  groves  of  spice,  and 
palm,  and  every  form  of  tropical  and  Oriental  vegetation,  I 
caught  myself  continually  repeating  the  words  of  the  old 
Mogul  inscription, "  If  there  be  a  paradise  on  earth,  it  is 
this,  it  is  this  !" 

Singa|X)re  is  situated  on  an  island  of  the  same  name, 
just  at  the  extremity  of  the  Malacca  peninsula.  It  is  an 
English  colon V,  havino;  been  ceded  to  Great  Britain  in  1824. 
Some  one  has  explained  the  name  as  meaning  "  the  place 
of  lions,"  rather  an  extraordinary  name  for  a  place  where 
lions  never  were  known.  The  island  once  abounded  in 
tigers,  which  are  still  occasionally  met  with.  In  former 
times,  it  is  said,  tliev  carried  off  and  ate  one  man  a  dav  on 

N 


194  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

an  average.  A  resident  of  more  tliaii  thirty  years,  who  had 
made  the  languages  of  the  East  a  study,  informed  me  that 
the  word  Singapore  means  a  place  to  touch  at,  a  very  ap- 
propriate name.  It  is,  in  reality,  the  touching-place  for  all 
steamers  which  pass  eastward  or  westward,  from  whatever 
quarter  they  come.  Constant  communication  is  kept  up 
with  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  scarcely  a  day  passes  with- 
out a  visit  from  one  or  more  of  the  grand  fleet  of  steamers 
which  are  driving  sails  from  the  Eastern  waters  as  they 
have  driven  them  from  the  Atlantic.  Singapore  is  not  an 
undesirable  place  for  residence,  being  on  the  great  high- 
road of  the  nations  east  and  west.  But  its  chief  attrac- 
tions consist  in  its  delightful  climate  and  its  rare  produc- 
tions. Situated  only  one  degree  north  of  the  equator,  it 
enjoys  perpetual  summer,  and  the  atmosphere  being  moist 
from  the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  and  the  frequent  showers  with 
which  it  is  visited  at  all  seasons,  the  heat  is  never  oppress- 
ive, the  thermometer  seldom  rising  above  90°.  I  have  be- 
fore me  the  meteorological  record  of  an  entire  year,  in 
which  the  greatest  heat  was  88°  and  the  lowest  73°.  In 
general  attractiveness  it  is  very  similar  to  the  island  of 
Ceylon,  just  across  the  Indian  Ocean,  with  this  exception^ 
that  \vhile  in  Ceylon,  according  to  Bishop  Ileber, "  only  man 
is  vile,"  in  Singapore  the  horses  are  equally  vile.  On  going 
ashore,  w^e  were  met  by  the  first  crowd  of  hackmen  that  ^^•e 
had  seen  since  leaving  the  Western  continent,  and  they 
seemed,  from  their  exorbitant  demands,  to  be  in  correspond- 
ence with  the  fi-aternity  in  New  York ;  for  when  we  came 
to  settle  accounts,  they  always  had  some  plea  on  which  the 
original  demand  was  increased.  The  horses,  too,  were  mere 
rats,  scarcely  able  to  draw  an  empty  carriage.  More  than 
once,  in  ascending  a  slight  hill,  I  was  obliged  to  alight  and 
assist  them  up,  or  leave  the  carriage  and  its  other  occupants 
in  the  interior  of  the  island.  But  the  island  itself  sur- 
passed, in  the  variety  and  richness  of  its  vegetable  growth, 
all  that  I  had  conceived  of  the  natural  grandeur  of  the 
tropics. 


MACAO,  SINGAPORE,  AND  PENANG.  195 

Before  reaching  the  harbor,  we  saw  from  the  steamer, 
first  with  the  glass  and  then  with  the  naked  eye,  large  plan- 
tations of  banana,  cocoannt,  and  other  varieties  of  the  palm, 
stretching  along  the  coast  for  miles.  The  cocoannt  grows 
liere  with  great  luxuriance,  the  fruit  of  enormous  size,  and 
the  leaves  attainina:  the  leno-th  of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet.  It 
is  cultivated  for  the  sake  of  the  oil,  Mdiich  is  used  for  illu- 
minating purposes.  The  bananas,  although  considered  very 
fine,  are  not  so  large  nor  so  highly  flavored  than  those  from 
the  "West  Indies.  I  hesitate  not  to  record  the  general  re- 
mark, that  the  fruits  of  the  East  Indies,  with  very  few  ex- 
ceptions, are  much  less  rich  in  flavor  than  those  of  the  West. 
It  is  in  spices  of  all  kinds  that  the  East  has  the  superiority, 
and  of  these  we  had  a  fine  specimen  at  Singapore. 

At  the  invitation  of  the  proprietor,  we  took  a  morning 
walk  into  a  grove  of  nutmegs  occupying  several  acres. 
The  tree  grows  to  the  height  of  about  twenty-five  or  thirty 
feet,  resembles  a  pear-tree  in  its  general  appearance,  and 
bears  a  fi'uit  about  the  size  and  shape  of  an  ordinary 
Seckle  pear.  The  grove  was  in  full  bearing.  Every  morn- 
ing a  man  walks  through,  carefully  examining  each  tree  to 
see  if  the  fruit  has  opened,  the  cracking  of  the  outer  shell 
being  an  indication  that  the  nutmeg  is  fully  ripe.  This 
opening  of  the  shell  reveals  an  inner  case  of  the  brightest 
vermilion,  the  ordinary  mace  of  commerce  ;  and  when  this 
is  removed  the  nutmeg  is  found  inclosed  in  a  third  shell, 
much  harder  than  the  outer  one.  I  gathered  several  speci- 
mens, preserving  some  of  them  in  their  original  tri-fold 
envelopes. 

Mr.  P.  Yoakim,  a  wealthy  Armenian  merchant,  who  was 
our  fellow-passenger  from  Singapore  to  Calcutta,  and  to 
whom  I  was  indebted  for  much  information  in  regard  to 
his  beautiful  island  home,  has  an  extensive  spice  plantation 
a  short  drive  from  the  town.  It  will  abundantly  repay 
any  one  who  touches  at  Singapore,  and  has  the  time  to 
make  the  excursion,  and  the  gentlemanly  proprietor  will 
give  him  a  hearty  welcome.     This  plantation  has  on  it 


196  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

12,000  cocoaimt-trees,  1500  nntmeg-trees,  with  cinnamon, 
clove,  and  all  kinds  of  si3ices.  The  clove  grows  in  large 
clusters  upon  the  extremities  of  the  branches  of  a  large 
tree,  and  was  in  season  when  we  were  at  Singapore.  Mr. 
Yoakim  has  an  orchid  house  of  great  extent. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Keasbury,  who  has  spent  more  than  thirty 
years  as  a  missionary  at  Singapore,  and  who,  although  not 
connected  with  any  society,  is  still  prosecuting  his  work 
vigorously  —  preaching,  teaching,  and  superintending  a 
printing  establishment  that  is  sending  out  among  the  va- 
rious classes  of  natives,  and  into  other  regions  along  the 
Malacca  coast  and  among  the  islands,  a  knowledge  of  the 
Gospel,  has  reclaimed  from  the  jungle,  about  two  miles 
out  of  town,  a  small  plantation,  which  yields  all  the  fruits 
and  spices  of  the  tropics,  with  a  profusion  of  shade,  made 
more  delightful  by  its  fragrance.  Among  the  trees  and 
shrubs  that  I  saw  in  his  grounds  were  the  following:  pine- 
apple, cocoanut,  bread-fruit,  orange,  mango,  jack  -  fruit, 
mangostine,  durian,  custard-apple,  coffee,  chocolate,  nut- 
meg, clove,  cassia,  etc.,  together  with  a  large  variety  of 
shade  and  ornamental  trees,  among  wdiicli  was  the  banyan. 

The  drive  to  Mr.  Keasbury's  was  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful imao-inable,  the  road  being  lined  with  buno;alows  and 
plantations  laid  out  with  exquisite  taste,  and  adorned  with 
all  the  luxuriance  of  tropical  vegetation.  One  of  the  most 
conspicuous  trees  upon  the  island  was  the  fan-palm ;  not 
the  palm  from  which  fans  are  made,  but  a  large  tree  hav- 
ing the  symmetry  and  shape  of  a  fan,  as  flat  as  if  it  had 
been  placed  in  a  press,  although  the  circle  of  the  leaves 
alone  is  at  least  twenty  feet  in  diameter.  The  tree  resem- 
bles the  tail  of  a  peacock  when  fully  spread.  This  singu- 
lar tree  is  also  called  "  the  traveler's  fountain,"  on  account 
of  the  large  amount  of  water  secreted  b}^  it,  which  flows 
out  when  the  tree  is  punctured,  affording  to  the  trav^eler 
an  abundant  supply.  There  is  at  Singapore  a  botanical 
garden  or  park,  over  the  entrance  to  which  is  an  inscrip- 
tion, "  Open  only  to  subscribers  and  strangers."     It  is  well 


JUACAO,  SINGAPORE,  AND  PENAN G.  197 

laid  out  and  well  kept,  with  a  large  variety  of  trees  and 
plants  from  different  climes.  Ilouqiia's  Garden,  some 
miles  from  the  town,  is  in  the  stiff  Chinese  style,  distorting 
instead  of  cultivating  nature — a  process  which  neither  in 
itself  nor  in  its  results  has  any  attractions  for  my  eye.  One 
can  not  go  amiss  at  Singapore  in  looking  for  the  beautiful. 
The  whole  island  is  covered  with  what  seems  a  spontaneous 
growth  of  all  that  is  graceful  and  attractive  in  vegetation, 
and  animal  life  is  not  wanting  to  enliven  the  scene.  The 
jungle  and  forest  abound  in  birds  of  the  richest  plumage, 
tribes  of  monkeys  chatter  among  the  liranches  of  the  trees, 
and  occasionally  a  tiger  makes  his  appearance  when  hard 
pressed  for  something  to  eat. 

The  second  morning  of  our  stay  we  spent  in  company 
with  Rev.  Mr.  Grant,  a  missionary  representing  the  Plym- 
outh Brethren,  and  Major  Malan,  of  the  British  army,  sta- 
tioned here  (a  grandson  of  the  depai'ted  patriarch  of  Gene- 
va, Dr.  Csesar  Malan),  in  visiting  the  Gospel-house,  the 
school  for  young  girls  established  by  Miss  Cooke,  now  in 
England,  which  is  supported  chiefly  by  the  work  of  the  pu- 
pils. The  embroidery  is  sold  at  a  public  annual  fair,  and 
is  quite  equal  to  that  found  at  the  Oriental  bazars. 

Singapore  was  once  a  very  important  missionary  station, 
not  so  much  in  its  relation  to  the  permanent  population 
of  the  place  as  on  account  of  its  affording  an  opportunity 
to  exert  an  influence  upon  China  and  other  neighboring 
countries.  It  was  ttou  arCj,  a  standing-place  on  which  to 
operate  while  the  Celestial  Empire  was  closed  against  for- 
eigners. For  a  long  period  there  has  been  a  large  Chinese 
population  on  the  island,  so  large  as  really  to  afford  a  broad 
field  for  the  missionary  to  work.  If  I  am  not  mistaken, 
there  were  at  one  time  as  many  as  thirty  missionaries  here ; 
but  just  as  soon  as  the  Chinese  Empire  was  thrown  open, 
the  force  moved  on,  and  now  the  station  is  almost  aban- 
doned. Mr,  Keasbury  and  Mr.  Grant  are  the  only  mission- 
aries whom  I  met.  There  are  in  the  town  of  Singapore 
four  Protestant  churches,  two  of  them  Chinese ;  four  Ro- 


198  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

man  Catholic,  of  which  two  are  also  Chinese ;  one  Arme- 
nian ;  one  Jewish  synagogue ;  three  Mohammedan  mosques ; 
one  Hindoo  temple;  one  Chinese  Buddhist  temple,  and 
some  minor  places  of  worship. 

For  its  size,  Singapore  has  the  most  conglomerate  popu- 
lation of  any  city  in  the  world,  almost  every  nation  being 
represented.  The  variety  in  costume  and  general  appear- 
ance strikes  the  stranger  at  once.  It  was  the  more  notice- 
able to  us,  coming  from  Japan  and  China,  where  the  ordi- 
nary dress  of  the  people  is  perfectly  uniform,  a  dull  blue 
cotton.  The  wharf,  as  we  were  leaving,  was  one  of  the 
gayest  scenes  that  we  have  met  with.  A  large  crowd,  in 
all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  occupied  the  bund.  There 
were  Jews  and  Jewesses  elegantly  dressed  and  glittering 
with  jewels ;  Armenians,  the  ladies  fine-looking  and  splen- 
didly dressed ;  Mohammedans  with  large  red  turbans ; 
Bengalese ;  Malays  in  all  sorts  of  bright  colors,  and  many 
of  them  in  plain  dark  color,  that  in  which  they  were  born  ; 
then  there  were  English,  and  French,  and  other  Europeans 
in  their  own  national  costumes.  Besides  the  people,  there 
was  a  grand  display  of  gay-colored  birds  for  sale — parrots 
in  green,  crimson,  scarlet,  yellow,  white,  etc.  "  While  we 
were  waiting  for  the  steamer  to  be  off,  boys,  who  seem  to 
belong  to  some  amphibious  tribe,  amused  the  passengers 
by  diving  from  boats  for  pieces  of  money  thrown  into  the 
water,  invariably  catching  them  before  they  reached  the 
bottom,  which  was  six  or  eight  fathoms  below.  In  the 
midst  of  this  variegated  scene  the  order  was  given,  and  we 
were  once  more  upon  the  sea. 

We  entered  the  Straits  of  Malacca,  and  had  a  quiet  and 
pleasant  voyage  to  Penang,  which  we  reached  early  on  the 
morning  of  the  second  day.  As  it  was  Saturday,  the  Jews 
and  Jewesses  on  board  had  a  long  discussion  in  regard  to 
the  propriety  of  going  ashore  to  spend  the  day,  as  it  was 
their  Sabbath.  Some  of  them  were  really  conscientious, 
but  others  were  disposed  to  treat  the  question  in  a  very 
Rabbinical  way.     One  Jew  maintained  that  they  might  go 


MACAO,  SINGAPORE,  AND  PENANO.  199 

ashore,  but  not  go  out  in  carriages,  as  that  would  be  con- 
trary to  the  command,  '■'■Seven  days  shalt  thou  labor,"  etc., 
this  being  the  form  in  which  he  repeated  it,  and  according 
to  which  he  had  probably  been  most  accustomed  to  observe 
the  day.  Another  thought  it  right  to  ride  on  an  elephant 
on  the  Sabbath,  but  not  in  a  carriage.  The  result  of  the 
discussion  was  that  some  went  on  shore  and  spent  the  day 
as  they  chose,  while  others,  more  conscientious,  remained 
on  board  and  played  cards  for  money. 

Having  a  note  of  introduction  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Macdon- 
aid,  an  Independent  missionary  at  Penang^  I  went  ashore 
to  present  it.  Calling  at  the  bungalow  of  the  chief  com- 
missioner of  police  to  make  some  inquiry,  we  were  very 
courteously  received.  lie  immediately  ordered  his  car- 
riage and  sent  an  officer  to  take  us  to  the  residence  of  the 
missionary,  where  we  spent  the  morning  in  very  pleasant 
intercourse  with  those  whom  we  had  met  as  strangers.  It 
was  truly  delightful  to  enjoy  their  Christian  society  on  this 
other  side  of  the  world,  and  as  pleasant  to  them,  they  as- 
sured us,  to  have  a  call  from  travelers  who  felt  an  interest 
in  them  and  in  their  work  for  the  Master's  sake.  Mr. 
Macdonald  is  the  only  missionary  now  at  Penang,  and  his 
labors  are  distributed  among  the  various  races  which  com- 
pose the  population  of  the  town,  among  which,  very  strange- 
ly, the  Chinese  appear  to  be  the  most  numerous.  They  oc- 
cupy a  separate  portion  of  the  city,  forming  a  distinct  com- 
munity. The  Celestials,  indeed,  are  scattered  through  all 
the  cities  east  of  India.  Even  Calcutta  has  a  large  Chinese 
population.  They  are  possessed  of  great  enterprise,  and, 
the  population  of  China  being  so  dense,  the  motive  to  em- 
igration is  strong.  A  few  years  since  a  fearful  riot  oc- 
curred among  the  Chinese  at  Penang,  growing  out  of  some 
of  their  clannish  ideas.  The  whole  community  became  in- 
volved in  it,  and  it  was  not  quelled  until  nearly  a  thousand 
lives  were  lost. 

As  our  steamer  was  to  lie  all  day  at  Penang,  Mr.  Mac- 
donald proposed  a  drive  through  the  town  and  into  the 


200  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

country,  a  proposition  which  we  were  nothing  loth  to  ac- 
cept. The  city  itself  is  even  more  beautiful,  at  least  some 
portions  of  it,  than  Singapore,  and  the  country  has  the 
same  luxuriant,  tropical  appearance,  abounding  in  cocoanut 
groves,  the  cocoanut  and  betelnut  being  among  the  chief 
productions.  During  our  drive  we  called  upon  a  wealthy 
Mohammedan,  Mahomet  Noordin,  the  head  of  the  Ivlings, 
who  owns  a  large  part  of  the  native  city  of  Penang.  It 
was  just  after  noon,  and  as  we  di'ove  up  to  the  doorway 
tlie  servant  said  his  master  was  asleep,  and  "  no  man  was 
so  brave  as  to  disturb  him  between  the  hours  of  twelve  and 
three,"  We  insisted  on  his  announcing  our  arrival,  but  he 
was  resolute  until  I  produced  my  card,  and  Mr.  Macdon- 
ald,  writing  his  own  name  on  it,  told  him  to  take  it  to  his 
master. 

We  waited  a  few  moments,  expecting  him  to  return  with- 
out having  presented  it,  but  some  one  had  been  brave  enough 
to  present  the  card,  and  we  were  shown  into  the  private 
rooms  of  the  chief,  where  he  received  us  not  only  with  cor- 
diality, but  with  Oriental  flattery.  He  expressed  great  de- 
light at  seeing  us,  and  when  we  apologized  for  having  dis- 
turbed his  slumbers,  he  said  "  it  made  him  very  much  hap- 
py to  have  a  visit  from  us,  but  that  if  the  lieutenant  gov- 
ernor had  called  at  that  hour  he  would  not  have  received 
him."  He  then  led  us  into  his  public  reception-room  and 
ordered  cheroots  and  wine,  of  which,  being  a  Mohammed- 
an, he  could  not  partake,  but  he  had  it  placed  before  us, 
each  glass  on  an  elegantly-chased  silver  salver.  Mr.  Mac- 
donald  at  first  declined  to  take  wine,  saying, "  I  am  very 
much  like  the  Mohammedans  in  one  respect — I  take  very 
little  wine."  Mahomet  Noordin  immediately  retorted  with 
a  hearty  laugh  at  his  own  wit,  "And  I  am  very  much  like 
the  Christians — I  drink  plenty  of  brandy  and  water."  He 
talked  very  intelhgently  about  America  and  of  different 
Europeans  whom  he  had  met  at  Penang.  He  asked  how 
long  we  were  expecting  to  stay,  and  said  if  I  would  come 
to  Penang  and  live  he  would  give  me  a  bungalow,  with  ev- 


MACAO,  SINGAPOBE,  AND  PENANO.  201 

ery  thing  that  could  make  us  comfoi'table,  and  that  if  I 
would  stay  for  only  a  week  he  would  have  a  house  made 
ready  for  us,  and  that  his  horses  and  carriages  should  be 
at  my  command,  all  of  which  generous  offers  I  was  obliged 
to  decline. 

The  old  gentleman  (for  he  was  quite  advanced  in  years) 
took  us  around  his  extensive  house,  pointed  out  one  large 
building  after  another  which  he  had  gradually  added  to  his 
home,  and  then  pointing  to  one  small  house  in  the  centre, 
in  which  he  had  first  received  us,  a  low  and  comparatively 
mean-looking  building,  said, "  That  was  my  father's  house:" 
Although  he  had  added  house  to  house,  he  still  retained  the 
paternal  roof  for  his  own  home. 

A  mountain  lying  back  of  the  city  affords  a  magnificent 
view  of  the  town,  the  country  around  it,  and  of  the  sea ; 
but  it  requires  the  greater  part  of  a  day  to  make  the  as- 
cent, and  we  had  not  time  for  the  excursion.  Besides,  a 
lieavy  rain  came  on,  in  the  midst  of  which  we  were  obliged 
to  make  our  way  back  to  the  steamer  in  an  open  boat,  the 
boatmen  embracino;  the  occasion  to  demand  an  exorbitant 
fare.  Soon  after  we  had  reached  the  steamer  the  wind  in- 
creased, and,  as  the  tide  was  running  with  great  velocity,  it 
was  with  immense  difiiculty  that  some  of  the  passengers 
reached  the  steamer  and  got  on  board. 

These  tropical  regions  are  as  prolific  of  animal  life  as  of 
vegetable.  The  most  venomous  snakes  are  quite  at  home 
in  all  these  beautiful  places,  and  they  do  not  disdain  an  in- 
vitino;  buns-alow  for  a  residence.  As  we  were  drivino; 
through  the  city  of  Penang  a  house  was  pointed  out  to  me 
in  which  the  proprietor  found,  on  coming  home  one  day, 
two  boa  constrictors  occupying  his  parlor  and  waiting  to 
give  him  a  warm  embrace  ;  but  he  declined  the  compli- 
ment, and  chose  to  have  them  put  out  of  the  w^ay. 

We  resumed  our  sail  through  the  Straits  of  Malacca.  On 
the  third  day  out  from  Penang  we  passed  a  chain  of  islands 
which  crop  out  occasionally  from  the  sea,  evidently  a  con- 
tinuation into  the  ocean  of  the  mountains  of  Burmah.    This 


202  AHOUND  THE  WORLD. 

chain  runs  down  to  the  island  of  Sumatra,  and  separates  the 
Andaman  Sea  and  the  Gulf  of  Martaban  from  the  Bay  of 
Bengal,  which  we  presently  entered.  The  Andaman  Isl- 
ands are  a  penal  settlement,  to  which  the  mutineers  from 
India  were  sent  to  the  number  of  sevei-al  thousands.  Some 
portions  of  the  islands  are  said  to  be  inhabited  by  cannibals, 
into  whose  hands  and  jaws  some  of  the  mutineers  fell  in 
making  an  attempt  at  escape. 

The  Bay  of  Bengal  was  like  a  mirror,  and  scarcely  was 
the  dying  swell  from  a  wave  to  be  seen.  The  air  was  de- 
lightfully warm,  and  in  the  calmness  which  settled  down 
over  the  sea  great  numbers  of  flying  fish,  tempted  fi*om 
their  native  element  to  try  their  wings  in  a  lighter  atmos- 
phere, skimmed  along  the  surface  in  flocks.  Immense  sea- 
turtles  also  came  to  the  surface  to  sun  themselves,  and  were 
not  roused  from  their  slumbers  until  we  were  just  upon 
them.  These  waters  are  inhabited  by  snakes  which  some- 
times reach  a  large  size,  very  inconveniently  making  their 
way  into  cabin  windows,  or  on  deck  when  a  stray  rope 
liangs  over  the  side  by  which  they  can  work  their  way  on 
board.  We  saw  them,  but  happily  had  no  visit  from  them 
on  board.  Some  of  our  passengers  took  the  precaution  to 
close  their  ports,  lest  they  should  find  in  their  cabins  these 
unwelcome  visitors. 

While  sailing  up  this  sea  we  were  often  tantalized  like 
the  travelers  in  the  desert,  only  they  are  decei\'ed  by  what 
appears  to  be  water,  while  we  had  the  promise  of  land  which 
never  came  in  sight.  I  had  never  before  seen  a  marine 
mirage,  but  for  days  the  state  of  the  atmosphere  was  such 
that  we  seemed  to  be  approaching  shores  which  loomed  up 
in  the  distance.  As  we  sailed  on  and  on,  the  shores  were 
ever  as  far  off  as  at  first,  and  ever  as  near,  and  finally  they 
would  fade  away  into  air. 

As  we  were  drawing  near  the  mouth  of  the  Hoogly  we 
beffan  to  meet  the  East  Indiamen,  homeward  bound.  Their 
occupation  will  soon  be  gone,  now  that  steam  is  monopoliz- 
ing not  only  the  passenger,  but  the  carrying  trade  of  the 


CALCUTTA.  203 

ocean,  especially  if  the  Suez  Canal  should  prove  a  success ; 
but  with  all  the  speed  and  the  modern  appliances  for  lux- 
ury on  the  steamers  of  the  present  day,  I  do  not  doubt  that 
there  was  more  of  comfort  in  some  of  the  large  East  India 
ships  which  made  the  voyage  around  the  Cape.  The  great 
drawback  to  comfort  was  the  length  of  the  voyage,  but  even 
this  enabled  those  who  had  weak  stomachs  to  become  ac- 
customed to  the  sea,  and  as  "  hanging  is  nothing  when  one 
gets  used  to  it,"  so  it  is  of  the  ceaseless  rolling  of  the  sea. 


CALCUTTA. 

Cllcutta  is  about  a  hundred  miles  fi'om  the  mouth  of 
the  Hoogly,  one  of  the  outlets  of  the  Ganges.  The  greater 
part  of  the  distance  up  fi'om  the  sea  the  banks  of  the  river 
are  a  wild  jungle,  through  which  are  scattered,  sometimes 
in  groves,  the  cocoanut  and  other  palms,  the  whole  vegeta- 
tion having  a  strictly  Oriental  aspect.  The  banks  of  the 
stream  are  as  flat  as  those  of  the  Lower  Mississippi.  Xear 
the  mouth  of  the  Hoogly  stands  a  monument,  sad  as  a  me- 
morial, and  strikingly  suggestive  of  adventures  which  are 
still  to  be  met  with  in  all  parts  of  India.  It  marks  the 
spot  where  a  young  lad}'  once  disappeared  in  the  grasp  of 
a  tiger.  A  vessel  from  home  was  detained  by  the  tide,  and 
a  number  of  passengers  concluded  to  go  ashore  and  while 
away  the  time  by  a  stroll  among  the  palms.  One  of  the 
party  strayed  a  little  from  the  rest,  when  a  scream  was 
heard ;  they  ran  to  her  assistance,  but  only  in  time  to  see 
her  carried  off  by  one  of  tlie  tigers  that  still  infest  the  j  un- 
gles,  even  in  the  vicinity  of  the  towns. 

As  we  approached  the  city  of  palaces,  the  signs  of  culti- 
vation, and  at  length  of  Eastern  wealth,  became  more  fre- 
quent.    For  several  miles  the  river  on  either  hand  was 


204: 


AROUXD  THE  WORLD. 


EiiTEANOE   TO   THE    IIOOGLY. 


lined  with  rich  plantations  and  costh'  residences.  The 
palms,  acacias,  and  other  tropical  trees  were  as  fresh  and 
vigorous  as  if  it  were  not  the  third  day  of  winter.  About 
two  miles  below^  Calcutta,  among  many  of  the  choice  trees 
of  the  tropics,  stands  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  the 
banyan  tree  in  all  India.  I  do  not  know  the  number  of 
its  trunks,  but  one  of  these  trees  is  described  as  having 
three  hundred  and  fifty  large  branches  that  have  shot  down 
and  become  rooted,  forming  three  hundred  and  fifty  large 
trees,  and  more  than  three  thousand  smaller  ones,  making 
from  one  tree,  still  joined  together  by  its  branches,  an  im- 


mense grove. 


On  the  opposite  shore  is  the  palace  of  the  ex-King  of 
Oude,  who  was  dethroned  by  the  East  India  Company  and 


CALCUTTA.  205 

brought  to  Calcutta  as  a  sort  of  prisoner  of  state.  He  was 
allowed  to  retain  a  large  portion  of  his  wealth,  and  still  has 
a  princely,  if  not  a  royal  revenue.  His  buildings  are  very 
beautiful,  extending  a  long  distance  upon  the  river's  bank. 
Among  them  was  a  temple,  the  dome  of  which  was  burn- 
ished gold,  dazzling  the  eyes  in  the  bright  sunlight.  "We 
were  detained  several  hours  opposite  his  grounds  waiting 
for  orders  from  the  Custom-house,  and  had  abundance  of 
time  to  study  all  the  beauties  of  the  place.  Nothing  in  the 
ample  grounds  of  the  dethroned  monarch  attracted  my  at- 
tention like  a  small  but  beautiful  kiosk  wliicli  stood  di- 
rectly upon  the  river's  bank.  It  was  about  twelve  or  fif- 
teen feet  square,  with  a  dome-shaped  roof ;  its  sides  were 
open,  but  grated  with  iron  bars,  and  witliiu  was  a  royal 
Bengal  tiger  pacing  up  and  down  in  all  his  majesty.  I  do 
not  know  whether  the  royal  owner  of  the  grounds  designed 
this  as  a  satire  upon  the  power  which  had  dethroned  him 
and  taken  possession  of  liis  territory,  but  if  so,  it  was,  in- 
deed, a  biting  satire. 

The  order  from  the  Custom-house  came  at  leno-th,  and 
we  steamed  up  to  the  anchorage  directly  opposite  Fort  Wil- 
liam, which  stands  upon  a  vast  open  plain,  known  as  the 
Maidan,  quite  to  the  south  of  the  city.  As  we  approached 
the  ghaut,  or  landing-place,  we  found  gathered  on  the  shore 
one  of  the  most  curious  crowds  that  we  ever  beheld.  All 
nations  and  all  costumes  appeared  to  be  represented,  the 
crimson  garments  of  tlie  Bengalese  and  Hindoo  women  pre- 
dominating, while  turbaned,  and  gowned,  and  trowsered 
men  and  women  of  all  complexions  and  styles  of  dress 
filled  up  the  picture.  Awaiting  ns  was  a  large  fleet  of 
native  boats,  manned  by  the  most  voracions  cormorants 
that  we  have  met  with  in  any  part  of  the  world.  Their 
shoutings  and  fightings,  one  with  another,  to  secure  the 
landing  of  our  persons  and  our  baggage  (we  were  not  fifty 
yards  from  the  shore),  would  have  silenced  the  builders  of 
the  towers  of  Babel.  It  became  necessary  for  us  to  shout 
and  fight  as  vigorously  as  they,  in  order  to  prevent  our  bag- 


2U6  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

gage  from  being  carried  off  into  a  score  of  separate  boats ; 
but  at  length  we  were  landed. 

Then  came  another  tug  of  war,  Not  one  of  the  boat- 
men Avoiild  carry  the  baggage  up  the  bank  to  the  gharries 
or  carriages,  about  fifty  feet  distant,  and  the  same  process 
of  fighting  and  shouting  was  renewed,  the  army  of  the 
Philistines  in  the  mean  while  having  increased  as  we 
reached  the  shore.  I  steadfastly  refused,  in  the  most  ve- 
hement Orientalisms  I  could  command,  to  pay  one  of  them 
a  single  copper  pie  until  I  saw  every  thing  on  the  gharries, 
by  which  time  the  number  of  clamorous  creditors  had  still 
farther  multiplied,  and  each  one  demanded  enough  for  all, 
whether  he  had  touched  our  baggage  or  not.  Never  be- 
fore or  since  have  I  found  it  so  hard  to  pay  an  honest  debt, 
only  because  it  was  im^^ossible  to  select  from  a  crowd  of 
rapacious  Hindoos,  who  all  looked  as  much  alike  as  if  the}' 
were  the  same  man,  those  to  whom  the  debt  was  actually 
due.  At  length,  seeing  that  all  was  ready,  I  selected  the 
one  who  was  most  violent  in  his  demonstrations,  handed 
him  what  I  thought  was  right,  motioned  to  the  rest  to  get 
their  dues  from  him,  and,  leaving  him  to  be  torn  in  pieces 
by  the  crowd,  sprang  into  the  gharry  and  was  off  for  the 
hotel.  I  never  learned  whether  the  man  survived  the  com- 
bined charge,  but  I  could  do  no  better.  The  longer  I  par- 
leyed in  English,  the  larger  and  more  imperious  the  crowd 
of  Hindoos  became,  and  there  was  neither  native  nor  En- 
glish police  to  whom  I  could  appeal. 

Arrived  at  Spence's  Hotel,  we  were  provided  with  rooms 
after  stipulating  to  give  them  up  for  the  Duke  of  Edin- 
burg  and  suite,  who  had  engaged  them  for  the  following- 
week.  They  were  immense  quarters.  Oriental  in  style  and 
accommodations.  AVe  were  abundantly  supplied  with  serv- 
ants—  four,  and  sometimes  five,  who  seemed  gifted  with 
omnipresence,  were  always  at  hand  to  wait  on  two  of  us. 
With  their  dusky  forms  clothed  from  head  to  foot  in  white ; 
moving  about  without  shoes,  noiselessly,  and  without  ut- 
tering a  word,  they  were  like  so  many  lost  sjDirits,  or  like 


CALCUTTA.  207 

Hindoos  in  grave-clothes.  When  waiting  on  us  at  our 
table  they  wore  white  muslin  hats,  with  immense  brims 
covered  with  the  same  material,  and,  excepting  that  they 
were  clothed  in  white  instead  of  drab,  we  should  have 
fancied  om-selves  served  by  the  spirits  of  some  of  the  fol- 
lowers of  George  Fox  or  William  Penn.  As  the  shades 
of  night  came  on,  and  we  grew  anxious  to  try  the  effect  of 
sleeping  on  shore,  we  found  it  next  to  impossible  to  relieve 
ourselves  of  their  presence.  AVe  signified  to  them,  as  well 
as  we  could,  that  their  duties  for  the  day  were  over,  and 
that  we  were  about  to  retire.  We  motioned  them  out  of 
our  quarters,  and  fancied  that  we  had  seen  the  last  of 
them  for  the  night,  but  scarcely  had  we  turned  around 
when  the  same  dark  ghosts  in  white  stood  before  us.  They 
had  stolen,  without  a  sound,  through  another  door  into  the 
room,  and  were  waiting  for  our  orders,  which  were  that 
they  should  disappear,  and  at  length  they  did. 

We  were  enjoying  our  first  sleep  on  land,  after  many 
davs  and  nio-hts  of  tossino;  on  the  China  Sea  and  the  Bav 
of  Bengal,  when,  just  after  midnight,  we  were  roused  by 
the  most  hideous  screams  that  ever  assailed  our  ears.  The 
cries  were  not  altogether  human ;  they  were  inhuman,  in- 
fernal. It  seemed  as  if  a  legion  of  demons  had  broken 
loose  from  their  confinement,  with  a  commission  to  drive 
sleep  from  the  pillows  of  Calcutta.  As  often  as  we  at- 
tempted to  quiet  ourselves  to  rest,  the  same  shrieks  would 
startle  us  from  our  incipient  dreams,  until  we  gave  up  in 
despair,  if  not  in  terror.  We  could  not  form  a  conception 
of  the  nature  of  the  beings  fi'om  which  they  proceeded. 
In  the  morning  we  learned  that  it  was  the  nightly  sere- 
nade of  jackals,  which  have  the  run  of  the  streets  after 
midnight,  and  which,  if  not  protected  by  law,  are  perfect- 
ly safe  from  all  harm,  on  account  of  the  valuable  service 
they  render  as  public  scavengers.  They  are  quite  harm- 
less themselves,  excepting  their  cries,  which  rob  all  new 
comers  of  sleep.  They  are  never  seen  by  day,  skulking 
away  into  sewers  and  dark  recesses,  where  they  lie  until 


20S  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

tliey  are  summoned  to  make  their  round  of  the  city.  Nor 
was  it  in  Calcutta  alone  that  we  heard  them,  but  in  every 
city  in  India  that  we  visited  during  the  winter,  with  the 
single  exception  of  Bombay.  Their  cries,  especially  when 
a  whole  pack  join  together,  approximate  so  near  to  the  hu- 
man, that  I  have  heard  it  interpreted  thus:  A  large  pack 
of  jackals  start  upon  their  nightly  round  in  search  of  their 
appropriate  food.  Suddenly  one  in  advance  of  the  I'est 
breaks  out  into  a  shrill,  hideous  scream,  "  Here's  a  dead 
Hindoo."  The  whole  pack  immediately  scream, "  Where  ? 
where  ?  where  ?"  A  score  of  the  ghouls  answer  with  a 
short,  shrill  bark, "  Here  !  here  !  here  !"  and  then  the  whole 
crowd  of  jackals  send  up,  in  the  otherwise  still  night,  a 
howl  over  their  discovery  that  may  be  heard  for  miles. 
This  was  the  serenade  that  awakened  us,  and  scarcely  a 
night  that  we  were  in  the  country  did  they  fail  to  send  a 
thrill  of  horror  through  our  souls. 

The  jackals  are  the  night-scavengers  of  Calcutta.  Those 
of  the  day  are  the  crows,  the  kites,  and  the  adjutants. 
The  crows,  as  in  all  parts  of  India  that  I  have  visited, 
swarm  throughout  the  city  by  myriads,  keeping  up  an  in- 
cessant "  caw,  caw,  caw."  They  spend  the  night  quietly 
on  the  trees,  not  much  less  than  a  thousand  sometimes  se- 
lectinof  a  sino-le  tree,  and  takino-  an  hour  of  fighting  and 
shouting  in  concert  before  they  become  fairly  settled  for 
the  night.  Even  after  they  have  become  quiet,  and  you 
imagine  that  at  last  their  noise  is  over  for  the  dav,  some 
dispute  arises  among  them,  and  the  whole  thousand  start 
up  from  the  tree  in  violent  altercation,  and  again  go 
through  the  same  course  of  figliting  before  they  are  settled 
again.  Tsor  are  they  satisfied  with  the  refuse  of  the  city 
for  a  living ;  they  come  boldly  into  the  open  windows  and 
lay  their  beaks  upon  any  food  that  is  within  reach.  The 
first  morninsf  that  we  were  in  Calcutta  our  breakfast  had 
been  set  in  the  anteroom,  but  before  we  could  lay  claim 
to  it  the  crows  had  entered,  and,  supj)osing  it  was  intended 
for  them,  had  made  way  with  a  good  share  of  it.     Once 


CALCUTTA.  209 

they  took  it  before  our  very  eyes,  without  sa  much  as  say- 
ing "  By  your  leave."  The  kites,  a  species  of  large  hawk, 
are  not  so  numerous,  but  they  are  numbered  by  thousands, 
or  tens  of  thousands,  and  are  continually  sailing  over  the 
city  or  along  the  streets,  excepting  when  they  see  some 
tempting  provisions,  in  w^hicli  case  they  do  not  hesitate 
to  swoop  down  and  bear  it  off,  even  from  the  midst  of  a 
crowd  of  pedestrians  or  carriages.  They  have  the  free- 
dom of  the  city  in  common  with  the  crows.  The  adju- 
tant, an  immense  stork,  standing,  in  his  stockings,  as  high 
as  a  man,  belongs  to  the  same  army,  and  enjoys  the  same 
freedom,  but  he  is  a  gentleman,  carrying  himself  with  as 
much  dignity  in  his  daily  walks  as  if  he  were  a  major 
general  instead  of  a  mere  adjutant,  and  never  intruding 
where  he  does  not  belong.  Much  of  the  time  he  stands 
on  one  leg,  with  his  neck  drawn  do\vn  into  his  body  and 
his  immense  visor  closed,  in  a  meditative  mood,  and  so  per- 
fectly motionless  that  you  might  easily  mistake  him  for  a 
bronze  statue.  The  snakes  form  a  part  of  his  rations.  The 
residents  of  Calcutta  seem  as  unconscious  of  the  existence 
of  the  crows,  the  kites,  and  the  adjutants,  and  even  of  the 
jackals,  as  if  such  specimens  in  natural  history  were  never 
heard  of  within  a  thousand  miles  of  the  city. 

Calcutta  may  be  called  the  European  capital  of  Asia. 
It  has  been  the  seat  of  British  empire  for  more  than  a  cen- 
tury, and  the  centre  of  British  influence  for  the  w^liole  East. 
Its  commercial  supremacy  is  probably  well-nigh  ended  since 
steam  and  the  opening  of  the  Suez  Canal  have  changed  the 
route  of  commerce  between  Europe  and  the  East.  Bom- 
bay is  now  the  port  of  India,  as  Calcutta  is  thrown  more 
than  ever  off  the  great  liighway  to  China.  But  no  other 
city  will  ever  have  such  a  combination  of  Oriental  and  Oc- 
cidental grandeur  as  the  "  City  of  Palaces,"  the  name  it 
bears  in  the  East.  The  name  is  not  unmerited,  although 
we  do  not  find  either  the  architectural  beauty  of  the  West, 
or  the  lavish  expenditure  of  the  old  dynasties  of  the  East. 
It  was  founded  by  the  East  India  Companv  near  the  close 

0 


210  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

of  the  seventeenth  century,  on  the  site  of  a  small  village 
called  Kali-kutta  (the  village  of  the  Goddess  Kali),  from 
which  the  present  name  of  the  city  is  derived.  A  temple 
of  the  goddess,  south  of  the  city,  is  still  frequented  by  mul- 
titudes of  devotees  at  the  period  of  the  annual  worship. 
The  official  name  of  the  city,  from  which  public  documents, 
I  believe,  are  dated  even  to  the  present  day,  although  exe- 
cuted at  the  Government  House  a  mile  distant,  is  Fort  Wil- 
liam. The  fort  was  erected  in  the  reign  of  William  III. 
of  England,  and  named  from  this  sovereign.  It  is  an  ex- 
tensive fortress,  standing  in  the  midst  of  the  Maidan,  a  vast 
open  plain  extending  more  than  two  miles  uj)  and  down 
the  Hoogly,  south  of  the  city.  The  northern  portion  of  the 
Maidan,  known  as  the  Esplanade,  is  occupied  by  the  gov- 
ernment buildings,  w^hich  front  upon  a  well-kept  park 
known  as  the  Eden  Gardens.  The  viceroy's  palace  occu- 
pies the  most  conspicuous  site,  and,  although  possessing  no 
great  architectural  beauty,  is  an  imposing  pile. 

The  portion  of  the  Maidan  bordering  on  the  river  for  a 
mile  below  the  Government  House  is  the  great  fashionable 
drive  of  Calcutta,  answering  to  the  Prater  of  Vienna,  or 
Rotton  Row  in  Hyde  Park.  Every  evening,  just  before 
sunset,  when  the  heat  of  the  day  has  passed,  all  Calcutta 
turns  out  for  an  hour's  drive  up  and  down  the  strand.  The 
sight  is  one  of  the  gayest  to  be  seen  in  the  suburbs  of  any 
city,  and  one  of  the  most  peculiar.  Nowhere  in  the  East 
is  there  any  thing  to  equal  it,  and  nowhere  in  the  West  any 
thing  like  it.  Europeans  with  gay  equipages,  from  the  vice- 
roy's scarlet  and  gold,  with  his  Sepoy  outriders,  down  to  the 
unpretending  gharry,  move  on  in  a  steady  line,  three  or  four 
abreast,  until  nio-ht  comes  on.  Notwithstandino;  the  occu- 
pants  of  the  carriages  are  chiefly  Europeans,  the  scene  is 
decidedly  Oriental.  Coachmen  and  footmen,  some  of  them 
splendid  specimens  of  the  various  tribes  of  India,  are  all 
in  Eastern  costume,  the  colors  and  style  of  which  are  as 
varied  as  the  races  of  Hindostan.  The  wealthy  Baboos 
have  their  place  in  the  grand  procession,  and  when  we 


CALCUTTA.  211 

were  in  Calcutta  there  was  a  grand  gathering  of  Rajahs 
and  native  princes  from  all  parts  of  India,  who  had  come 
down  to  meet  the  Duke  of  Edinburg  and  take  part  in  the 
durbar  at  Government  House.  One  who  would  study  Ori- 
ental life  should  not  fail  to  be  on  the  strand  at  Calcutta  an 
hour  before  sunset. 

The  residences  of  the  merchants,  and  those  connected 
with  the  civil  and  military  service,  are  east  of  the  Maidan, 
the  whole  of  this  part  of  Calcutta  being  known  as  Chow- 
ringee.  The  dwellings,  many  of  which  may  in  truth  be 
called  palaces,  though  not  architecturally  beautiful,  are  iso- 
lated, standing  in  the  midst  of  squares,  and  surrounded  by 
a  profusion  of  the  ornamental  trees  and  shrubs  of  India. 
The  suburbs  of  the  city  toward  the  south,  in  the  direction 
of  the  palace  and  grounds  of  the  ex-King  of  Oude,  stretch 
out  into  the  region  of  the  palms,  acacias,  mango,  bamboo, 
and  peepul  trees,  which  grow  with  great  luxuriance  of  foli- 
age. In  tropical  countries  leaves  often  take  the  place  of 
branches.  The  stately  palm,  the  glory  of  the  tropics,  is  as 
destitute  of  limbs  as  the  mast  of  a  ship,  but  a  single  leaf  is 
fifteen  or  twenty  feet  in  length,  and  each  tree  is  crowned 
with  a  drooping  mass.  Such  a  tree  has  no  need  of  branch- 
es. In  the  palm-clad  suburbs  of  Calcutta  stands  the  coun- 
try house  of  Warren  Hastings,  where  that  brilliant  though 
erring  statesman,  the  governor  general  of  India,  maintained 
a  splendid  hospitality.  The  place  is  now  among  the  his- 
toric scenes  of  the  East ;  but  one  can  not  recall  the  events 
connected  with  his  rule  and  conquests,  even  in  the  midst 
of  the  prosperity  of  India,  without  a  long-drawn  sigh. 

There  are  few  public  buildings  of  much  note.  The  Gov- 
ernment House,  built  by  the  Marquis  of  Wellesley,  and  the 
new  government  offices  on  the  Esplanade,  are  the  most  im- 
posing. The  post-office  is  a  large  and  fine  building,  erect- 
ed in  part  on  the  site  of  one  more  memorable  in  history 
than  any  other  within  the  limits  of  the  city  or  in  this  part 
of  India.  It  is  the  "  Black  Hole  of  Calcutta."  In  the  year 
1756  Fort  William  was  taken  by  Surajah  Dowlah,  Nabob 


212  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 

of  Bengal,  a  feeble  garrison  being  left  to  defend  it  after 
the  governor  and  others  had  escaped  to  the  ships.  The  pris- 
oners, 146  in  number,  were  thrust  into  a  room  only  eighteen 
feet  square,  with  two  small,  obstructed  windows,  where,  in 
the  intense  heat  of  a  Calcutta  night,  on  the  18th  of  June, 
they  were  shut  up  without  water  or  any  means  of  relief. 
With  heat,  and  thirst,  and  suffocation,  many  of  them  became 
maddened,  and  the  horrors  of  that  night  never  can  be  de- 
picted. Bribes,  and  prayers,  and  the  raging  of  despair  were 
all  ineffectual  to  move  the  hearts  of  the  guard.  In  vain 
the  prisoners,  in  the  agonies  of  thirst  and  of  suffocation, 
entreated  to  have  the  nabob  informed  of  their  condition  ; 
they  were  told  that  he  was  asleep,  and  could  not  be  dis- 
turbed. In  the  morning  twenty-three  ghastly  fonns  had 
just  life  enough  left  to  crawl  from  the  room  when  it  was 
opened ;  the  rest,  123,  were  piled  upon  the  floor,  putrid 
corpses.  ]^o  scene  connected  with  Calcutta  is  more  indeli- 
l)ly  graven  on  the  memory  of  the  world  than  this  ;  but  all 
traces  of  it  are  obliterated  f  I'om  the  spot  by  the  erection  of 
new  and  stately  buildings. 

The  new  Cathedral,  the  seat  of  the  bishopric  which  has 
been  held  by  such  apostolic  names  as  those  of  Heber  and 
Wilson,  is  a  line  building,  it  may  be  called  elegant,  finished 
as  it  is  with  such  admirable  taste  and  in  such  beauty.  It  is 
already  becoming  filled  with  monumental  marbles,  among 
which  the  statue  of  Bishop  Heber  is  the  most  striking. 
There  are  several  fine  churches,  Eno-lish  and  Scotch.  The 
college  buildings  of  the  Free  Church,  and  the  Scotch  lurk, 
are  worthy  of  note  for  their  extent,  if  not  for  their  beauty. 
The  Bishop's  College,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Hoogly. 
two  miles  below  the  city,  makes  more  pretension  to  taste 
and  elegance. 

The  nati\e  and  the  European  quarters  of  the  town  are 
distinct,  the  former  having  very  narrow  streets  and  more  or 
less  of  squalor  in  its  whole  extent,  but  the  portion  occupied 
by  foreigners  (Europeans  have  no  native-born  descendants 
of  pure  blood  in  India)  is  laid  out  upon  a  broad  scale,  and 
built  up  with  appropriate  magnificence. 


CALCUTTA.  213 

The  city  is  supplied  with  water  from  immense  tanks,  res- 
ervoii's  of  one  or  two  hundred  feet  square  sunk  into  the 
ground,  but  left  entirely  open.  The  natives  walk  down  into 
them,  bathe  their  bodies  and  wash  their  clothes,  and  then 
fill  their  jars  or  goatskins  with  the  water  for  drinking  and 
other  domestic  use.  This  is  a  specimen  of  native  cleanli- 
ness.* 

The  streets  are  watered  by  a  truly  Oriental  method. 
Each  waterman  lias,  instead  of  a  cart,  a  goatskin  taken  ofi 
entire,  and  forming  an  immense  bottle,  left  open  at  the 
neck.  This  is  suspended  by  a  strap  over  the  shoulders  of 
the  coolie,  who  seizes  the  neck  with  one  hand,  and,  as  he 
walks  along,  deftly  throws  the  water  hither  and  thither. 
Large  numbers  of  these  coolies  are  kept  constantly  em- 
ployed spirting  the  streets,  which  are  as  well  watered  by  this 
method  as  by  our  own. 

Of  the  institutions  of  Calcutta,  one  of  the  first  that  claim- 

*  The  following,  from  an  India  paper,  is  a  specimen  of  Hindoo  metaphys- 
ics, and  also  of  the  stress  that  is  laid  upon  ceremonial  nncleanness  above  act- 
ual filth. 

"  At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Sanatana-Dharma  Rakshami  Sabha,  the  presi- 
dent. Rajah  Kali  Krishna  Deo  Bahadoor,  read  an  opinion  on  the  water  sup- 
plied to  the  Calcutta  residents  from  the  municipal  water-works.  He  says 
that  the  water,  being  destitute  of  the  sanctity  of  the  Ganges,  can  not  be  used 
for  religious  purposes,  but  can  be  employed  for  drinking  or  domestic  use  with- 
out prejudice  to  caste.  Rice,  milk,  turmeric,  and  other  things  become  pure  by 
boiling,  and  can  be  used  by  virtue  of  the  authority  that  says  that  edible  arti- 
cles become  purified  by  purchase.  The  water-rate  may  be  considered  in  the 
light  of  value  paid,  and  the  water  become  drinkable.  Besides,  it  is  written 
in  the  Satatapa  vachana  that  articles  prepared  in  a  cow- shed  by  a  shopman 
or  by  a  machine,  though  not  purified,  are  not  considered  unclean :  also  that 
fluid,  as  in  a  running  stream,  is  considered  pure.  The  Shruti  says  that  health 
is  most  important,  and  that  religion  comes  next ;  and  as  water  is  called j(ca- 
«a,  or  life-giver,  and  as  good,  pure  water  preserves  health,  the  fluid  can  be 
used  without  detriment  to  caste.  The  great  bulk  of  water  is  also  a  test  of 
purity  in  the  same  way,  as  a  number  of  persons  in  a  boat  does  not  affect  pu- 
rity. The  president  farther  states  that  he  visited  the  water-works  in  compa- 
ny with  several  respectable  Hindoos,  and  examined  the  machinery,  and  found 
that  India-rubber,  and  not  leather,  as  was  supposed,  is  used  in  certain  parts  of 
the  machine ;  cocoanut  oil  is  used  to  lubricate  the  works,  and  that  no  forbid- 
den substance  is  used  in  connection  with  the  pumps.  He  concludes  by  sub- 
mitting to  the  other  members  of  the  Sabha  his  opinion  tliat  the  water  is 
wholesome,  and  that  it  would  be  unwise  to  remain  in  doubt  and  sustain  loss 
by  not  using  the  same."' 


214  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

ed  a  visit  was  Dr.  Duff's  College,  as  the  great  Free  Cliurcli 
of  Scotland  Institution  is  called.  Although  it  is  many 
years  since  Dr.  Duff  was  compelled  to  leave  India  by  the 
failure  of  his  health,  his  indomitable  energy  and  ardent 
spirit  having  worn  out  his  comparatively  feeble  frame  in 
that  trying  climate,  his  name  still  adheres  to  the  college 
which  he  founded  and  brought  to  a  high  state  of  prosperi- 
ty. He  came  to  India  in  1830,  and  began  his  educational 
work  with  a  class  of  five  scholars,  which,  in  a  few  days,  in- 
creased to  more  than  a  hundred.  It  soon  became  neces- 
sary to  have  permanent  accommodations  for  those  who 
were  comino-  in  such  numbers  to  receive  instruction  in 
Western  science,  wliich  is  quite  as  different  from  Oriental 
science  as  the  fact  that  the  earth  revolves  around  the  sun 
is  in  advance  of  the  idea  that  the  sun  revolves  around  the 
earth,  or  that  the  earth  stands  on  a  tortoise.  A  site  for  a 
college  was  selected  on  Cornwallis  Square,  one  of  the 
pleasantest  quarters  of  the  city,  extensive  buildings  were 
erected,  a  corps  of  teachers  was  supplied  by  the  Church  at 
home,  and  as  many  as  eight  hundred  scholars  were  going 
through  a  course  of  instruction. 

When  the  institution  had  reached  this  advanced  stage, 
the  disruption  took  place  in  the  Church  of  Scotland,  and 
the  Free  Church  was  organized.  The  result  was  that  the 
missionaries,  to  a  man,  decided  to  go  with  the  Free  Church. 
They  followed  the  example  of  the  Free  Church  ministers 
at  home,  who  gave  up  churches  and  manses,  and  began 
their  work  anew.  They  abandoned  the  mission  property, 
and  every  thing  connected  with  the  college,  to  lay  another 
foundation.  It  was  but  a  few  years  before  the  new  col- 
lege numbered  nearly  fourteen  hundred  pupils,  while  the 
old,  which  had,  in  the  mean  time,  been  supplied  with  fresh 
men  from  the  Kirk  of  Scotland,  had  nearly  as  many.  The 
number  has  fallen  off  considerably  within  the  last  few 
years,  owing  perhaps  to  the  founding  of  other  schools  by 
the  government  and  by  private  munificence.  These  insti- 
tutions are  open  to  students  of  all  religions,  and  the  mass 


CALCUTTA.  215 

uf  them  are  Hindoos  or  Mohammedans.  Only  in  rare  in- 
stances have  they  renounced  the  faith  of  their  fathers, 
while  fewer  still  have  become  real  Christians. 

It  is  not  the  desire  to  become  acquainted  with  Christian 
truth,  much  less  to  become  Christians,  that  induces  so  many 
youth  to  crowd  these  foreign  seminaries  of  learning.  They 
are  anxious  to  become  qualified  to  fill  the  various  lucrative 
posts  which,  in  connection  with  the  civil  service,  and  the 
commerce  and  business  of  the  country,  are  open  to  the  na- 
tives. This  is  the  great  stimulus  to  study,  and  a  successful 
course  and  an  honorable  graduation  in  the  missionary,  as 
well  as  in  the  government  colleges,  is  usually  a  passport  to 
a  good  situation.  But  this  army  of  educated  men  may  yet 
be  brought  into  the  Church  of  Christ,  in  that  o-reat  relio-- 
ions  revolution  that  is  to  pass  over  India,  the  promise  of 
which  we  have  in  the  Word  of  God,  and  the  signs  of  which 
are  to  be  seen  all  over  the  land. 

The  Bishop's  College,  occupying  a  fine  Gothic  building, 
beautifully  situated  on  the  botanic  garden  or  park,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Hoogly,  two  or  three  miles  below  the  city,  has 
a  more  limited  class  of  students.  It  was  founded  by  Bish- 
op Middleton  in  1820  for  the  purpose  of  training  up,  un- 
der the  discipline  of  the  Church  of  England,  a  corps  of 
preachers  and  teachers,  to  be  employed  by  that  Church  in 
disseminating  the  truths  of  the  Gospel  in  India.  The 
number  of  students  is  small,  but  the  arrangements  for  their 
education  in  the  languages  of  the  East,  and  in  general  liter- 
ature and  science,  are  very  extensive. 

Besides  the  institutions  I  have  named,  there  are  several 
others  of  a  high  order.  Among  these  are  Doveton  College, 
founded,  I  believe,  by  a  man  whose  name  it  bears ;  the 
Martiniere,  founded  by  General  Martin,  who  amassed  a 
large  fortune  in  the  East,  and  who  established  a  college 
at  Lucknow;  the  Sanscrit  College;  the  Hundu  College; 
the  Mohammedan,  etc.  There  is  also  a  medical  college, 
\yith  a  large  corps  of  able  professors,  at  the  head  of  which 
is  Dr.  Joseph  Fayrer,  a  distinguished  surgeon  of  the  British 


216  AROU^^D  TRE^YOliLD. 

army,  who  was  at  Lucknow  dui-iiig  the  memorable  siege, 
and  in  whose  arms  the  commanding  oi^cer,  Sir  Henry  Law- 
rence, breathed  his  last.  A  large  hospital,  which  I  visited 
in  company  with  Mr.  Duff,  an  eminent  merchant  of  Bom- 
bay, and  son  of  the  Rev,  Dr.  Duff,  is  under  the  charge  of 
this  facnlty.  Dr.  Fayrer  has  been  engaged,  by  a  series  of 
experiments  npon  animals,  in  endeavoring  to  discover  an 
antidote  to  tlie  venom  of  the  snakes  that  abound  in  India, 
by  which  thousands  of  lives  are  lost  annually,  but  thus  far 
without  success. 

Tlie  Asiatic  Society,  located  at  Calcutta,  was  originated 
and  established  by  that  eminent  scholar  and  Christian,  Sir 
William  Jones,  who  went  out  to  India  in  1783.  Having 
been  appointed  to  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ben- 
gal, he  devoted  himself  with  intense  ardor  to  the  study  of 
the  languages  of  the  East  as  the  means  of  fitting  himself 
for  usefulness  in  India.  He  is  said  to  have  acquired  in  the 
course  of  his  life  twentv-eia-ht  different  lano-uao-es,  and  to 
have  become  familiar  with  the  literature  of  each.  It  was 
he  who  ffave  the  noble  testimonv  to  tlie  Bible,  all  the  more 
weighty  because  coming  from  one  whose  professional  pur- 
suits were  not  theological,  and  who  was  also  so  well  quali- 
fied by  his  eminent  learning  to  bear  such  testimony :  "  1 
have  carefully  and  regularly  perused  the  Scriptures,  and 
am  of  opinion  that  this  volume,  independent  of  its  divine 
origin,  contains  more  sublimity,  purer  morality,  more  im- 
portant iiistory,  and  finer  strains  of  eloquence  than  can  be 
collected  from  all  other  books,  in  whatever  language  they 
may  be  written."  The  Asiatic  Society,  which  he  founded, 
and  of  which  Warren  Hastings  was  the  first  president,  was 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  preser\ang  the  history  and  the 
memorials  of  India  and  the  East  generally.  It  has  now  an 
immense  collection  of  volumes,  and  manuscripts,  and  speci- 
mens in  natural  history,  and  relics  of  all  sorts.  The  large 
building  in  which  they  have  been  kept  was  long  since  over- 
flowing, so  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  store  the  addi- 
tions elsewhere.     An  extensive  range  of  buildings  on  the 


CALCUTTA. 


217 


Chowringee  Road  was  approaching  completion  when  I  left 
Calcutta,  and  when  it  is  opened  it  "will  be  one  of  the  most 
interesting  museums  in  tlie  world.  I  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  the  scholarly  superintendent,  who  expressed  an 
earnest  desire  to  establish  some  system  of  exchanges  with 
similar  institutions  in  this  Western  world. 

Excepting  in  what  is  known  as  the  Zenana  Mission,  the 
Americans  are  not  represented  among  the  institutions  of 
Calcutta ;  but  that  work  is  one  of  great  importance,  and  in 
India  is  absolutely  essential  as  the  complement  of  Christian 
missions.  It  is  not  altogether  new,  but  in  its  specific  form 
was  undertaken  only  ten  years  since  by  the  "  Woman's 
^Union  Missionary  Society  of  America  for  Heathen  Lands," 
whose  head-quarters  in  India  are  at  Calcutta,  under  the 
superintendence  of  Miss  Hook,  a  lady  of  rare  culture  and 
refinement,  and  of  great  energy  of  character.  Their  field 
of  operation  is  the  zenanas,  the  homes  of  the  women  of 
India.  Of  course  I  was  not  able  personally  to  observe  the 
prosecution  of  this  work,  but  I  became  familiar  with  its 
character  and  prospects,  and  was  happy  to  learn  that  it  is 
full  of  promise.  The  ladies  of  the  mission,  who  go  out 
daily  among  the  zenanas,  are  cordially  received,  and  many 
of  the  wealthy  natives  express  an  earnest  desire  that  theii" 
\vives  may  be  instructed. 

There  is  no  spot  in  India  more  sacred  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Christian  world  than  Serampore,  beautifully  situated  on  a 
bend  of  the  Iloogly,  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  city  of 
Calcutta.  Every  one  who  is  at  all  familiar  with  the  his- 
tory of  missions  in  the  East  knows  how  intimately  this  place 
is  associated  with  the  names  of  the  earliest  and  some  of  the 
best  men  that  have  gone  out  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  Asiatic 
countries.  In  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  it  was 
the  cave  in  which  the  prophets  were  hid  when  they  were 
forbidden  to  preach  in  British  India.  Being  a  Danish  pos- 
session, it  was  not  under  the  control  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany, and  here  Carey  and  Ward  set  themselves  down  to 
study  the  languages  of  the  East.     Here  they  planted  their 


'218  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

printing-presses,  and  from  this  spot  tliey  sent  forth  millions 
of  pages  of  Clu'istian  truth  into  all  parts  of  Asia  and  the 
Islands  of  the  Sea.  Here,  too,  the  apostle  Jiidson,  several 
years  later,  found  a  temporary  refuge  when  he  was  forbid- 
den to  land  at  Calcutta,  as  if  he  and  his  companions  from 
America  had  conspired  against  the  peace  of  the  country. 

The  history  of  Carey  and  his  labors  is  known  the  world 
over.  He  was  born  in  a  small  interior  town  in  England. 
His  parents,  being  poor,  apprenticed  him  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen to  a  shoemaker,  whose  trade  he  seems  never  to  have 
mastered ;  for,  in  after  years,  when  dining  at  the  governor 
general's  in  India,  as  he  overheard  some  supercilious  En- 
glishmen speak  of  him  as  a  shoemaker,  he  turned  and  cor- 
rected him,  saying  he  was  only  a  cobbler.  (On  his  death- 
bed he  was  ministered  to  by  the  wife  of  the  Governor  Gen- 
eral of  India,  and  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta  came  to  ask  his 
dying  blessing.)  While  learning  his  trade  in  England,  he 
indulged  his  thirst  for  knowledge  by  a  course  of  reading, 
and  at  length  turned  his  attention  to  languages,  and  en- 
larged his  field  of  study,  until  he  became  a  well-read  Bib- 
lical scholar,  and  at  length  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel in  the  Baptist  connection.  In  reading  the  accounts  of 
Cook's  voyages  around  the  w^orld  he  was  deeply  moved  in 
heart  toward  the  heathen,  and  stirred  up  his  brethren  with 
his  own  zeal  until  they  resolved  on  a  mission  to  the  pagan 
world,  and  Carey  himself  was  sent.  On  arriving  in  India 
he  was  obliged  to  conceal  himself  from  the  knowledge  of 
the  East  India  Company,  whose  policy  was  altogether  op- 
posed to  efforts  for  the  conversion  of  the  natives.  For 
many  years  he  labored  in  great  seclusion,  supporting  him- 
self by  working  on  an  indigo  plantation.  In  the  year  1800 
he  was  joined  by  Marshman  and  Ward,  from  England,  when 
they  established  themselves  under  Danish  protection  at  Se- 
rampore.  They  seemed  almost  to  be  endued  with  the  gift 
of  tongues,  so  successfully  did  they  devote  themselves  to 
the  acquisition  of  languages  and  to  the  translation  of  the 
Word  of  God  into  the  numerous  tongues  of  the  East.    They 


CALCUTTA.  219 

established  presses  on  which  the  Word  of  God  was  printed 
in  languages  spoken  by  at  least  half  the  pagan  world.  They 
laid  the  foundation  for  a  college  of  a  high  order,  and  erect- 
ed for  it  a  building  which  even  now  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  finest  structures  of  its  kind  in  India.  They  procured  a 
choice  and  extensive  library,  which  is  still  a  rich  repository 
of  learning  and  a  monument  to  their  own  enlarged  ideas 
and  acquisitions. 

A  gi-eat  part  of  the  expense  of  these  enterprises  they 
bore  themselves.  It  is  wonderful  that  a  few  poor  mission- 
aries could  do  such  a  work ;  but  they  were  earnest  men  of 
genius,  and  they  lived  not  unto  themselves.  Dr.  Carey  re- 
ceived for  thirty  years  more  than  a  thousand  rupees  a 
month  (equal  to  $6000  a  year)  for  his  services  as  professor 
m  the  College  of  Fort  Wilham,  at  Calcutta,  and  translator 
to  the  East  India  Company ;  Mr.  Ward  received  as  much 
more  from  the  printing-office,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marshman 
about  the  same  from  teachuig ;  and  yet,  while  they  were 
receiving  these  princely  sums,  they  ate  at  a  common  table, 
and  drew  from  the  common  fund  only  twelve  rupees  each, 
or  four  dollars  a  mouth.  The  remainder  was  devoted,  by 
a  mutual  contract,  to  the  pui'poses  of  the  mission,  and  was 
employed  in  spreading  the  Gospel.  The  cost  of  the  Chi- 
nese version  alone,  which  they  prepared  and  printed,  was 
:20,000  pounds  sterling,  or  $100,000.  The  words  of  the 
agreement  which  they  signed  when  they  entered  on  their 
work  were,  "  Let  us  give  ourselves  up  unreservedly  to  this 
glorious  cause.  Let  us  never  think  that  our  time,  our 
gifts,  our  strength,  our  families,  or  even  the  clothes  we 
wear,  are  our  own.  Let  us  sanctify  them  all  to  God  and 
his  cause."  Now  that  life's  labor  is  over,  these  devoted 
men  sleep  together  on  the  spot  consecrated  by  their  many 
yeai-s  of  toil  in  the  service  of  the  Master. 

Here,  too,  Henry  Martyn,  of  blessed  memory,  lived  for  a 
time  and  studied,  fitting  himself  for  his  short  but  important 
life-service  in  India  and  Persia.  Xor  is  this  spot  without 
special  interest  for  Americans.     When  the  first  band  of 


220  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 

missionaries  from  our  ovn\  country  to  tlie  East  reached 
India,  this  M'as  the  only  spot  in  all  the  land  in  which  they 
could  find  a  resting-place  even  for  a  day. 

All  these  associations  were  so  many  powerful  attractions, 
and  I  gladly  accepted  an  invitation  from  Dr.  George  Smith, 
the  accomplished  and  learned  editor  of  the  Friend  of  In- 
dm,  to  visit  him  at  his  home  at  Serampore.  I  found  him 
awaitino;  me  at  the  station,  and  we  drove  first  to  the  ceme- 
tery,  known  as  the  Westminster  Abbey  of  India,  where 
Carey,  and  Marshman,  and  Ward  were  buried.  Carey 
wrote  his  own  epitaph,  which  is  inscribed  on  a  plain  ceno- 
taph : 

WILLIAM  CAREY  : 

BORN    I7TH   OF   AUGUST,   I761, 
DIED   9TH   OF  JUNE,    1834. 

"^  wretched,  poor,  and  helpless  ivorm, 
On  Thy  kind  arms  I  fall." 

I  visited  the  college  where  those  prophets  taught ;  I 
stood  in  the  pulpit  where  Carey  preached,  and  saw  the 
room  in  which  Marshman  died.  Dr.  Smith  pointed  out  to 
me  the  site  of  the  pagoda  in  which  Henry  Martyn  devoted 
himself  with  such  assiduity  and  success  to  the  study  of  the 
languages  in  which  he  afterward  preached  the  Gospel. 
The  college  building  is  still  in  excellent  repair,  and  the  li- 
brary was  most  tempting  in  its  choice  collection  of  books, 
among  which  I  would  fain  have  lingered.  But,  as  else- 
where, I  suffered  from  the  bane  of  travelers,  w^ant  of  time, 
and  I  could  not  linger  in  any  of  the  many  interesting- 
scenes  in  which  I  found  myself. 

We  drove  out  to  the  grounds  of  a  wealthy  Baboo  to  wit- 
ness  a  Hindoo  festival  that  had  been  in  progress  two  or 
three  days,  and  which  was  then  at  its  height.  It  was  in 
honor  of  some  one  of  the  multitude  of  gods  which  the  Hin- 
doos reverence,  but  m  the  form  of  an  entertainment  for 
the  people,  w^ho  had  come  together  in  great  numbers  in 
holiday  attire.  In  various  places  by  the  roadside  and  in 
booths,  or  under  canopies,  were  groups  of  statuary  formed 


GOVEBNMENT  OF  INDIA  ;  EUROPEANS,  ETC.  221 

from  the  plastic  mud  of  the  Ganges,  Avhich  is  superior  to 
the  finest  statuary  clay.  Some  of  the  groups  were  in  cari- 
cature, but  others  were  perfectly  life-like,  evincing  real  ge- 
nius in  the  extemporaneous  artists.  In  a  large  inclosure, 
separated  from  the  crowd  of  natives,  a  sort  of  musical 
drama  was  in  progress,  the  music  and  the  words  appearing 
improvised,  but  falling  on  the  ear  with  pleasing  effect. 
Every  thing  was  conducted  with  strict  decorum,  and  the 
whole  scene,  as  I  witnessed  it  for  a  few  moments  while  the 
shades  of  evening  were  falling — its  perfect  novelty,  its 
strictly  and  strangely  Oriental  features,  and  its  surround- 
ings of  bamboos,  and  palm-trees,  and  other  tropical  vegeta- 
tion— formed  a  picture  which  can  not  easily  be  forgotten. 
Crossing  the  Hoogly  to  Barrackpore,  and  passing  through 
tlie  grove  of  an  immense  banyan-tree,  I"  reached  the  station 
of  the  East-side  Eailway,  and  was  shortly  in  Calcutta  again. 


GOVERNMENT  OF  INDI^ ;  EUROPEANS,  ETC. 

The  Hindoos  claim  for  their  countr}-  and  nation  an  an- 
tiquity which  ought  to  satisfy  the  most  enthusiastic  advo- 
cates of  the  long  geologic  periods.  They  make  it  out  that 
things  have  been  going  on  somewhat  after  the  present  or- 
der for  indefinite  ages — four  or  five  thousand  millions  of 
years ;  that  in  the  early  days  of  their  race  people  used  to 
live  a  hundred  thousand  years ;  that  the}'  were  the  matter  of 
thirty-five  or  forty  feet  in  height,  etc. ;  but  the  records  of 
those  ancient  times  are  not  very  authentic.  Nothing  satis- 
factory is  known  either  of  the  country  or  the  people  before 
Alexander  the  Great  crossed  the  mountain  barrier  on  the 
north  and  extended  his  arms  onward  toward  the  peninsula. 
Tliis  was  a  little  more  than  three  hundred  years  before  the 
Christian  era.     From  that  time  to  the  present  we  have  rec- 


222  AROUXB  THE  WORLD. 

ords  more  or  less  aiitlientic,  first  of  the  Hindoo  rule  of 
about  thirteen  centuries,  and  then  of  the  Mohammedan,  in- 
ehiding  the  reign  of  the  Mogul  emperors,  exceeding  in 
splendor  all  that  the  world  has  seen  out  of  Hindostan,  and 
reaching  down  to  the  complete  occupation  of  the  country 
by  British  power. 

It  was  the  wealth  of  the  Mogul  dynasty  which  fu'st  led 
European  cupidity  to  turn  its  eyes  toward  the  East.  The 
discovery  of  the  passage  to  India  around  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  six  years  after  the  discovery  of  America  by  Colum- 
bus, opened  up  the  whole  of  India  to  the  commerce  of  En- 
rope.  In  the  year  1600  a  commercial  company  was  char- 
tered in  England  under  the  name  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany, which  continued  to  increase  in  power,  and  to  extend 
the  objects  and  limits  of  its  sway,  until  it  had  taken  posses- 
sion of  all  India,  and  at  length  was  compelled  to  turn  it 
over  completely  to  the  crown  of  Britain.  The  East  India 
Company,  which  had  been  a  mine  of  wealth  and  an  engine 
of  almost  unlimited  power  to  its  corporators,  was  abolished 
by  act  of  Parliament  in  1858,  the  year  after  the  great  mu- 
tiny, having  been  gradually  shorn  of  its  privileges  and  pow- 
er by  the  same  authority  in  successive  renewals  of  its 
charter.  Its  immense  wealth  and  power  may  be  inferred 
fi'om  the  fact  that  its  gross  revenue  for  the  year  1850  was 
£135,000,000,  or  neariy  $675,000,000.  Its  expenditures 
were  at  a  corresponding  rate. 

The  Empire  of  India,  which  inchides  a  number  of  prov- 
inces or  presidencies  such  as  Bengal,  Bombay,  Madi'as,  etc.. 
and  extends  over  a  territory  of  a  million  and  a  half  square 
miles,  with  a  population  of  two  hundred  millions  of  people, 
is  now  administered  by  a  viceroy,  or  governor  general,  who 
has  under  him,  in  the  several  provinces,  governors,  lieuten- 
ant governors,  and  commissioners,  some  of  the  native  prin- 
ces retaining  a  semi-independent  position  in  their  own  ter- 
ritories. All  the  great  native  rulers  were  dethroned  and 
their  territory  appropriated  in  the  conquests  made  by  Brit- 
ish arms. 


GOVERNMENT  OF  INDIA;  EUROPEANS,  ETC.  223 

For  two  centuries  and  a  half  India  was  ruled  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  East  India  Company.  This  was  a  commercial 
enterprise,  undertaken  for  the  sole  purpose  of  making  gain ; 
it  did  not  pretend  to  establish  itself  for  the  purpose  of  do- 
ing good  to  the  inhabitants  of  India ;  trade,  and  gold,  and 
diamonds  were  the  objects  sought,  while  the  welfare  of  two 
hundred  millions  of  people  was  among  the  last  things  con- 
sidered. Even  the  claims  of  religion,  humanity,  and  justice 
were  too  often  treated  as  if  they  had  no  binding  force  in 
that  longitude.  Not  the  splendors  of  successive  conquests 
of  territory  from  native  kings  and  princes,  nor  the  brilliant 
administration  of  such  men  as  Warren  IIastino;s,  can  blind 
the  world  to  the  wrongs  and  crimes  which  marked  the  prog- 
ress of  British  empire  in  the  East.  It  is  in  many  respects 
a  dark  record,  unworthy  of  a  Christian  or  a  noble  people. 
But  that  is  all  changed  since  the  East  India  Company  was 
abolished,  or,  if  not  all,  the  purpose  and  the  general  admin- 
istration of  the  government  is  changed.  India  is  now  ruled, 
not  for  the  sake  of  extorting  money  from  an  unwilling,  sub- 
jugated race,  but  for  the  good  of  the  people  of  India. 

It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  bear  testimony  to  the  high 
character  of  the  men  who  have  the  administration  of  affairs 
in  that  empire,  as  well  as  to  the  promising  aspect  of  the 
country  in  its  material,  educational,  social,  and  religious  in- 
terests, as  being  full  of  promise.  I  doubt  if  any  country 
has  more  conscientious  and  intelligent  public  officers  con- 
trolling its  destinies.  There  are  reforms  yet  to  be  consum- 
mated. The  extreme  caution  of  the  rulers  prevents  them 
from  taking  the  bold  stand  assumed  by  the  home  govern- 
ment in  favor  of  Christianity  and  against  some  of  the  enor- 
mities of  idolatry  and  heathenism  ;  many  evils  growing  out 
of  the  peculiarities  of  the  people,  the  variety  of  races,  the 
inveterate  nature  of  hoary  prejudices,  yet  remain  to  be  re- 
moved or  remedied;  but, judging  from  the  promise  of  the 
present,  India  bids  fair  to  become  again  a  mighty  empire  in 
the  East,  and  to  outshine  in  real  glory  the  splendor  of  the 
old  Moguls. 


224  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

The  viceroyaltj  of  India  is  the  highest  office  under  the 
British  crown,  and,  considering  the  extent  of  its  sway,  and 
the  population  over  wliieh  it  is  exercised,  is  the  most  im- 
portant delegated  office  in  the  world.  The  power  is  not  as 
absolute  as  was  that  of  the  governor  general  in  the  palmy 
days  of  the  East  India  Company.  Being  directly  respon- 
sible to  the  home  government,  the  viceroy  is  under  statu- 
tory checks ;  general  legislative  power  also  is  in  the  hands 
of  councils,  provincial  and  general,  so  that  a  uniform  and 
complete  system  of  government,  and  one  which  might  be 
called  constitutional,  extends  over  the  whole  of  India. 
The  outward  dignity  of  government  is  maintained  by  a 
liberal  provision  for  its  support.  The  viceroy  has  a  salary 
of  £25,000  (five  times  that  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States),  with  as  much  or  more  for  incidental  expenses ;  an 
extensive  palace  and  complete  establishment  at  Calcutta, 
with  provision  for  a  country  residence  and  a  summer  cap- 
ital on  the  Himalaya  Mountains,  to  which  the  governor 
general  and  the  supreme  council  remove  during  the  hot 
season. 

The  salaries  of  officials  in  India  are  generally  large,  and 
the  immense  army  of  office-holders  employed  in  all  the  de- 
partments of  government,  the  revenues  for  their  payment 
being  drawn  from  the  country  itself,  makes  this  possession 
one  of  incalculable  value  and  importance  to  Great  Brit- 
ain. It  is  the  source  from  which  a  large  representation  of 
the  higher  and  middle  classes  obtain  their  support.  The 
younger  sons  of  the  aristocracy  who  can  not  be  maintain- 
ed in  affluence,  and  a  large  force  of  others  who  are  able 
to  obtain  appointments,  are  sent  to  India  to  fill  the  offices 
in  the  various  branches  of  the  military  or  civil  service. 
There  is  a  charm  about  Oriental  life  which  makes  it  at- 
tractive. The  pay  is  liberal.  Some  officials  receive  enor- 
mous salaries,  with  the  promise  of  pensions  after  the  term 
of  service  has  expired ;  and  at  the  end  of  seven  years,  as  a 
rule,  officers  high  and  low  have  a  furlough  of  a  year  on 
half  pay,  with  the  expenses  of  a  journey  homeward  paid. 


GOVERNMENT  OF  INDIA;  EUROPEANS,  ETC.  225 

This  rule,  in  the  form  of  a  custom,  extends  even  to  clerks 
in  ])anks  and  other  private  corporations.  It  is  not  strange, 
therefore,  that  India  is  regarded  at  home  as  a  sort  of  El 
Dorado. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  great  change  which  has  come  over 
the  administration  of  affairs  in  India  since  it  became  more 
dirlectly  dependent  upon  the  British  crown.  The  change 
is  noticeable  every  where,  but  in  no  respect  more  than  in 
the  extent  and  thorono-hness  of  the  educational  work  car- 
ried  on  by  the  govermnent.  I  was  aware  that  a  system  of 
public  instruction  had  been  organized,  and  that  institutions 
of  learning  had  been  established  at  various  points,  but  I 
was  not  prepared  to  find  that  these  institutions  were  of 
such  a  high  order ;  that  so  many  of  the  youth  of  India, 
Hindoo  and  Mohammedan,  ^4ere  enjoying  and  profiting  by 
these  advantages,  or  that  such  liberal  provision  was  made 
by  the  go\ernment  for  their  support  and  for  general  edu- 
cation. "Within  the  last  ten  years  the  progress  of  the  work 
has  been  rapid.  The  appropriations  for  this  object  by  the 
government  for  the  year  previous  to  my  arrival  in  the 
country  amounted  to  nearly  nine  millions  of  rupees,  or 
more  than  $4,000,000.  This  was  distributed  over  the 
whole  of  the  empire,  so  that  every  school  conforming  to 
the  requisitions  of  government  received  its  share. 

A  University  is  established  in  each  of  the  three  presi- 
dencies of  Bengal,  Bombay,  and  Madras.  These  are  ex- 
amining bodies  only,  but  colleges  and  schools  of  various 
grades  are  established  in  all  the  different  provinces.  In 
Calcutta  alone  there  are  eleven  colleges  of  a  high  order, 
including  the  institutions  of  the  Kirk  and  Free  Church  of 
Scotland,  the  students  of  which,  on  completing  their  course 
of  stud}',  appear  before  the  University  on  examination  for 
their  degrees.  In  Lower  Bengal  there  are  five  colleges, 
and  in  the  northwest  provinces  and  the  Punjaub,  seven. 
There  are,  besides,  similar  institutions  in  Bombay  and  Mad- 
ras. These  colleges  are  all  thoroughly  equipped  with  pro- 
fessorships filled  by  scholars  who  have  had  a  university 

P 


t-) 


226  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 

education  at  home,  some  of  tliem  men  eminent  for  their 
attainments,  and  have  all  the  appliances  for  a  complete  ed- 
ucation in  the  arts,  sciences,  and  languages.  In  the  year 
above  referred  to  there  were,  in  the  colleges  and  schools 
taught,  aided,  or  inspected  by  the  state,  6(32,537  scholars. 
These  were,  with  very  few  exceptions,  natives. 

Too  much  attention  and  too  large  a  proportion  of  the 
appropriations  have  been  devoted  to  the  higher  institu- 
tions, without  suitable  provision  for  the  education  of  the 
masses.  One  reason  for  this  is,  that  it  has  been  the  policy 
of  the  government  to  educate  native  youth  for  its  own  ser- 
vice in  the  various  departments  of  civil  life,  and  for  this 
purpose  mainly  the  colleges  were  originally  founded ;  but, 
now  that  so  large  a  number  have  enjoyed  these  advan- 
tages, it  would  accord  with  the  general  policy  of  the  gov- 
ernment to  elevate  the  people  by  diffusing  the  blessings  of 
a  sound  education.  Such  a  course,  I  believe,  is  to  be  pur- 
sued. A  general  system  of  schools  for  the  country,  ap- 
proaching our  own  public -school  system,  has  been  under  / 
consideration,  and  will  probably  soon  be  adopted. 

The  standard  objection  against  the  government  schools 
and  colleges  of  India  is  that  they  are  not  Christian  in  their 
character ;  that  the  course  of  instruction  has  tended  rath- 
er to  favor  than  to  oppose  idolatry.  There  is  too  much 
ground  for  the  objection;  but, after  becoming  more  famil- 
iar with  the  character  of  the  people,  and  with  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  the  govermnent,  I  could  better  appreciate 
the  difficulties  of  establishinrr  a  svstem  which  should  be 
avowedly  hostile  to  the  religious  convictions  of  the  people. 
It  is  not  considered  as  the  province  of  our  own  govern- 
ment to  teach  religion  in  its  public  schools,  and  there  are 
difficulties  in  India  in  the  way  of  teaching  Christianity 
throuo;li  o-overnmental  institutions  of  which  we  know  noth- 
ing.  Since  being  in  India  I  look  with  more  hope  than  l)e- 
fore  to  the  results  of  the  work  of  education  which  is  car- 
ried on  by  the  government.  It  must  aid  in  the  overthrow 
of  idolatry,  and  of  other  forms   of  false  religion  which 


GOYERNMEXT  OP  IXDIA ;  EUROPEANS,  ETC.  227 

liave  so  long  prevailed  in  the  land.  Many,  it  is  true,  be- 
come infidels  on  becoming  convinced  of  the  absurdity  of 
the  science  w'hich  has  formed  a  part  of  their  own  religions 
svstems,  but  this  mav  be  onlv  a  transition  state,  not  nnnat- 
nral  as  the  effect  of  correct  scientific  instruction  without 
the  pervading  and  prevailing  influence  of  Christian  con- 
viction. This  conviction  must  come  from  a  higher  source 
than  mere  human  instruction. 

The  general  attitude  of  the  government  toward  the  sys- 
tems of  idolatry  has  nndergone  an  entire  change.  The 
time  was,  and  not  many  years  ago,  when  the  East  India 
Company  derived  a  large  revenue  from  the  temples  and 
places  of  pilgrimage  for  devotees ;  when  English  soldiers 
were  compelled  to  bow  down  and  do  reverence  before  the 
false  gods  for  the  sake  of  securino;  the  favor  or  avoidino- 
the  hostility  of  the  natives.  A  long  indictment  was  re- 
corded against  the  former  rulers  of  the  land,  and  they  were 
convicted  not  only  of  wickedness,  but  of  folly,  when,  in  the 
great  mutiny  of  1857,  the  very  men  whose  favor  they  had 
courted  became  their  deadliest  enemies;  and  when,  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  rebellion,  not  a  single  Chris- 
tian convert  in  the  land  was  known  to  lift  his  hand  or  give 
any  information  against  the  English.  The  authorities  have 
learned  wisdom  and  righteousness  by  this  terrible  experi- 
ence.* 

*  Meadows  Taylor,  in  his  History  of  India,  speaking  of  tlie  administration 
of  Lord  Auckland,  says  : 

"All  connection  between  the  English  government  of  India  and  Hindoo 
temples  and  their  idolatrous  ceremonies  was  abolished  under  imperative  or- 
ders from  the  Court  of  Directors  and  the  Board  of  Control.  All  revenues 
derivable  from  these  sources  were  abandoned,  and  the  temples  and  their  en- 
dowments placed  under  the  management  of  their  own  priests.  It  will  hardly 
now  be  credited  how  much  honor  had  used  to  be  accorded  to  idols  and  their 
worship  before  this  most  necessary  exactment  of  .\pril  20,  1S4().  Up  to  this 
time  troops  had  been  paraded  at  festivals,  salutes  tired,  and  otferings  by  the 
Company  presented  to  idol  deities,  and  the  European  functionary  of  the  dis- 
trict was  obliged,  often  most  unwillingly,  to  take  a  part  in  heathen  ceremo- 
nies originally  conceded  to  conciliate  the  people,  but  which  had  grown  by 
usage  into  a  portion  of  the  ceremonies  themselves.  It  is  still  stranger  to 
record  that  it  was  not  till  the  lapse  of  years  that  a  final  disseverance  from 
and  abandonment  of  pilgrim  taxes  was  effected." 


228  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

The  European  population  of  India,  of  whom  the  natives 
of  the  British  Isles  form  by  far  the  largest  part,  is  about 
160,000.  They  are  chiefly  engaged  in  the  public  service, 
military  and  civil,  although  in  the  principal  cities  there  is 
a  large  mercantile  population.  There  are  very  few  Euro- 
peans in  India  who  were  born  there,  and  scarcely  one 
whose  parents  were  natives  of  the  country.  From  a  remote 
period  the  children  of  English  or  Scotch  parents  have  been 
sent  home,  not  merely  to  be  educated  away  from  the  evil 
associations  of  the  land,  but  to  be  raised  in  a  more  health- 
ful climate.  Children  of  foreign  parents  are  more  exposed 
to  the  injurious  influences  of  the  .climate  than  those  who 
come  to  India  in  adult  years.  It  was  mentioned  to  me  also 
as  a  singular  fact,  that  women  born  in  India  of  European 
parents  seldom  become  mothers,  a  proof  of  the  deleterious 
effect  of  the  climate  uj^on  the  constitution ;  consequently 
one  rarely  sees  children  in  the  families  of  the  foreign  resi- 
dents, or  much  more  rarely  than  in  other  countries.  They 
have  either  not  been  born,  or  they  have  been  sent  home. 
The  trial  which  missionaries  have  been  called  so  often  to 
endure  in  sendino;  their  children  from  the  home  circle  and 
from  parental  care  is  one  which  is  shared  by  a  large  part 
of  the  foreign  residents,  who  are  engaged  either  in  the  pub- 
lic service  or  in  mercantile  business. 

There  is  another  class,  the  children  of  European  fathers 
and  native  mothers,  called  Eurasians,  East-Indians,  Half- 
castes,  etc.,  numbering  about  80,000.  Being  a  sort  of  con- 
necting link  between  the  two  races,  they  are  commonly  ac- 
quainted with  the  foreign  and  the  native  languages  ;  many 
of  them  have  had  special  advantages  of  education,  and 
many  of  them  occupy  positions  of  usefulness,  as  clerks  or 
agents  of  the  government.  They  are  easily  distinguished  by 
their  European  features  from  the  natives,  and,  being  almost 
as  dark  as  the  natives,  are  never  confounded  with  Europe- 
ans. They  are  not  reputed  to  possess  the  same  mental  or 
physical  vigor,  or  to  have  as  much  enterprise  of  character 
as  foreigners. 


GOVERNMENT  OF  INDIA;  EUROPEANS,  ETC.  229 

During  the  hot  season  all  business  requiring  active  exer- 
tion is  crowded  as  much  as  possible  into  the  early  morning, 
especially  if  it  makes  exposure  to  the  sun  necessary.  The 
army-drill  is  over  by  eight  or  nine  o'clock,  traveling  is  done 
by  night,  and  during  the  middle  of  the  day  the  struggle  for 
existence  is  most  wisely  managed  by  ceasing  the  struggle 
altogether,  and  giving  one's  self  up  to  perfect  quiet.  The 
slightest  exercise  instantly  produces  violent  perspiration, 
and  the  same  eifect  follows  the  suspension  of  the  jju/Jm. 
The  jJunA'a  is  a  broad  fan  suspended  overhead,  and  usually 
stretching  across  the  room ;  in  the  dining-room  reaching 
the  length  of  the  table.  It  is  moved  by  coolies  in  an  ante- 
room, who,  by  means  of  a  cord  attached  to  the  _pu7ika,  draw 
it  back  and  forth.  Every  private  house,  every  place  of 
business,  and  every  assembly-room  is  supplied  with  this  in- 
dispensable requisite.  The  churches  have  hnmemc  jni?ikas 
suspended  over  the  heads  of  the  congregations,  which  wave 
back  and  forth  majestically  during  the  entire  service.  The 
first  time  that  1  was  called  upon  to  address  a  congregation 
through  such  a  medium,  I  found  it  far  less  suggestive  of 
ideas  and  suitable  emotions  than  if  I  had  been  speaking  to 
the  people  face  to  face.  But  even  the  heat  ol  a  church 
would  be  unendurable  without  thepimkas.  They  are  quite 
as  essential  at  nio'ht  in  the  homes  durina;  the  hot  season. 
Xo  sleeping  can  be  done  without  them.  JS'or  are  they  such 
a  severe  tax  upon  the  coolies  as  might  be  supposed.  The 
coolies  are  paid  for  the  service ;  it  is  their  only  support ; 
they  luxuriate  in  the  heat  as  do  the  natives  of  Africa,  and 
they  have  their  time  for  rest.  Few  natives  of  any  country 
in  the  East  die  of  hard  work. 

Europeans  in  India  live  much  more  freely  in  respect  to 
eating  and  drinking  than  is  generally  supposed  to  be  con- 
sistent with  such  a  climate,  but  it  may  be  that  the  waste  of 
the  human  system  demands  a  generous  supply  to  repair  it. 
1  have  never  been  in  any  land  where  free  indulgence  with- 
in the  bounds  of  temperance  Avas  more  generally  the  rule. 
Foreign  residents  rise  early  all  the  year  round,  and  take  a 


230  AMOUXD  THE  WOIiLB. 

cup  of  tea,  with  toast,  or  some  light  food,  immediately  on 
rising.  This  is  called  chota  Aaznl,  or  the  little  breakfast. 
About  nine  or  ten  o'clock  comes  the  real  breakfast,  usually 
an  elaborate  meal  of  iish,  eggs,  and  some  preparation  of  rice, 
with  meats.  At  one  o'clock  tiffin,  a  still  more  hearty  meal, 
is  taken,  and  at  seven  or  eight  o'clock  dinner,  which  is  the 
meal  of  the  day,  and  which  is  much  after  the  pattern  of  an 
English  or  American  dinner.  This  generous  style  of  living 
seems  to  agree  with  the  people ;  for,  instead  of  the  yellow 
or  dark-skinned,  shrunken,  liver-diseased  race  that  I  expect- 
ed to  see,  I  found  the  gentlemen  robust  and  rosy -faced,  to 
my  great  astonishment,  and  the  ladies  equally  well  favored. 
(I  speak  of  health,  not  of  beauty,  for  in  this  respect  the  la- 
dies always  and  every  where  bear  the  palm.)  They  assured 
us  that  we  found  them  at  their  best,  in  the  midst  of  the  cool 
season,  when  they  were  luxuriating  in  a  genial  temperature  ; 
but,  from  the  general  aspect  of  the  foreign  residents,  I  felt 
convinced  that  India  had  been  greatly  belied,  or  that  for- 
eigners had  learned  how  to  adapt  themselves  to  its  climate 
better  than  in  years  past. 

The  subdivision  of  labor  is  carried  in  India  to  its  vers' 
utmost  limit.  Every  servant  has  his  own  sphere,  and  it 
would  be  about  as  difficult  to  move  him  from  it  as  to  turn 
one  of  the  planets  from  its  orbit.  It  almost  reaches  the 
point  that  one  servant  who  takes  up  an  article  must  have 
another  to  lay  it  down  for  him.  This  necessitates  the  em- 
ployment of  a  large  number  to  do  the  work  of  a  household. 
Fortunately,  the  rate  of  wages  is  very  low,  or  it  would  re- 
quire a  fortune  to  live  at  all.  A  family,  however  small, 
living  in  any  style,  must  have  a  I'ansuma,  a  butler  or  stew- 
ard ;  Jtitmutgar,  a  head  table-servant,  besides  a  table-serv- 
ant for  every  member  of  the  family ;  hohagee,  or  cook  ;  mee- 
^fl^,  man-sweeper;  metrane,  ie\n2i\Q  sweeper;  tnusaiche,  to 
clean  knives  and  wash  dishes  ;  surdar,  head  bearer,  with 
eight  common  bearers  if  he  keeps  a  palanquin,  to  pull  pun- 
ka, etc. ;  durwan,  gate-keeper;  <:)?c»^e//,  washerman  ;  bhees- 
tie,  to  bring  water ;  abdar,  to  cool  the  water ;  chiijprasse,  a 


GOVERNMENT  OF  INDIA  ;  EUROPEANS,  ETC.  231 

confidential  messenger;  coolies,  to  cany  marketing  and 
other  burdens ;  chohedai\  watchman ;  if  he  keeps  a  carriage 
he  must  have  a  gharry-ivalla,  or  coachman,  with  a  syce,  or 
groom,  for  each  liorse,  who  runs  with  the  horse ;  and  so  on, 
ahnost  without  end.  Some  of  the  servants  must  be  Mo- 
hammedans, for  the  Hindoos  will  not  touch  certain  dishes, 
and  the  Mohammedans,  on  the  other  hand,  liave  their  an- 
tipathies in  household  service  which  must  be  consulted. 

Among  the  chief  objections  to  a  residence  in  India  is 
the  extreme  heat  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year. 
Frost  seldom  occurs  south  of  the  Nerbudda,  and  even  in 
the  far  north  the  winter  season  is  known  as  such  only  by 
tlie  cool  nights.  This  season  is  very  short,  and  from 
March  to  June  the  heat  increases  with  great  intensity. 
Hot  scorching  winds  prevail,  the  earth  becomes  parched, 
and  vegetation  withers.  Nor  is  the  degree  of  heat  gradu- 
ated by  the  latitude,  excepting  that  it  is  more  intense  in 
the  extreme  north  tlian  in  the  central  or  southern  parts. 
The  great  plain  of  Hindostan  suffers  most.  I  was  inform- 
ed by  a  gentleman  who  has  resided  near  the  Himalaya 
Mountains,  on  the  plain,  for  thirty  years,  that  he  had  often 
seen  the  thermometer  for  weeks  standing  at  midday  in  the 
shade  at  110, 120,  and  130,  and  at  night  it  seldom  falls, 
during  the  hot  season,  below  90  or  100,  This  would  be  al- 
most insupportable  but  for  the  punkas,  which  are  kept  mov- 
ing nio-ht  and  dav.  The  mountains  and  the  high  table- 
lands  afford  a  refuge,  like  "  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a 
weary  land,"  to  those  who  are  able  to  remove.  In  June, 
when  the  heat  is  at  its  greatest,  the  clouds  pile  up,  and  the 
southeast  monsoon  bursts  upon  the  land,  attended  with  ter- 
rific storms  of  thunder  and  lightning,  and  torrents  of  rain. 
Every  thing  becomes  saturated  or  swollen  with  moisture,  as 
it  was  parched  and  warped  with  heat  before.  This  rainy 
season  is  not  of  long  continuance,  and  under  the  influence 
of  the  succeeding  heat  the  land  bursts  forth  into  vegeta- 
tion, which  advances,  under  occasional  rains,  with  wonder- 
ful rapidity  and  beauty.  Tlie  southeastern  coast  is  not 
reached  by  the  monsoons  until  late  in  the  year. 


232  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 

Tlie  quantity  of  water  that  falls  in  the  rainy  season  va- 
ries greatly  in  different  localities,  according  to  distance 
from  the  coast  and  the  mountains,  the  sea  and  the  low 
marshy  lands  supplying  moistm"e  which  the  mountains 
condense.  Sometimes  a  short  distance  makes  a  vast  differ- 
ence in  the  rainfall.  At  Bombay  the  average  fall  in  the 
year  is  about  To  inches ;  on  the  Ghauts,  south  of  Bombay,  it 
is  254  inches  ;  while  a  little  farther  inland,  at  Poonah,  over 
the  mountains,  it  is  only  23  inches.  According  to  the  same 
authority,  the  fall  of  rain  on  the  Khasia  hills  is  600  inches, 
fifty  feet.  This  immense  fall  of  water  is  attributed  to  the 
passing  of  the  air  from  the  sea  over  200  miles  of  swampy 
country,  by  which  it  becomes  surcharged  with  moisture, 
that  precipitates  itself  when  it  strikes  the  mountains,  and 
falls  in  torrents  as  long  as  the  monsoon  prevails  in  that  di- 
rection. Only  twenty  miles  farther  inland  the  amount  is 
200  inches.  I  met  in  India  a  veteran  army  officer  who 
had  spent  twenty  years  in  Assam,  the  eastern  part  of  India. 
He  gave  me  an  extract  fi'om  the  meteorological  record  that 
he  had  kept  in  that  country  for  many  years  which  contain- 
ed some  remarkable  statistics.  In  one  year,  1862,  there 
fell  at  Chorra  -  poongee  725  inches  of  rain,  a  little  more 
than  sixty  feet,  probably  the  heaviest  rainfall  ever  noted 
at  any  place  on  the  earth. 

The  sand-storms  of  India  are  even  more  remarkable  than 
the  rain.  They  are  violent  whirlwinds,  occurring  occasion- 
ally in  the  dry  season,  gathering  up  the  dust  and  carrying- 
it  over  the  country  in  such  volumes  as  actualh'  to  make 
midday  as  dark  as  midnight.* 

*  Lady  Baker,  in  her  Letters  from  India,  gives  the  following  description  of 
one  of  these  sand-storms  : 

' '  Scarcely  had  the  servants  fastened  firmly  to  the  ground  the  large  curtain 
which  formed  our  tent  door,  and  which  was  generally  festooned  back  with 
green  wreaths  of  mango-leaves,  when  the  tent  shook  and  swayed  back^vard 
and  forward,  and  in  a  few  moments  every  thing  was  covered  more  tlian  an 
inch  deep  with  the  finest  dust,  which  had  filtered  through  the  immerous  folds 
of  the  canvas.  It  was  impossible  to  read  or  work  ;  the  candles  only  gave  a 
little  gleam  of  light  through  the  thick  atmosphere,  and  all  we  touched  was 
gritty.  For  four  long  hours  our  imjjrisonment  lasted,  and  it  was  not  until 
sunset  that  the  servants  pronounced  it  safe  to  release  us.     As  soon  as  the 


GOyERNM£NT  OF  INDIA;  EUROPEANS,  ETC.  233 


M- 


A   8AJ<D-STOESf. 


One  of  the  greatest  luxuries  in  India  is  American  ice, 

which  at  the  principal  ports  is  received  in  large  quantities, 

and  is  freely  used.     It  comes  from  Boston,  and  is  no  incon- 

.  siderable  item  in  the  trade  with  Bombay  and  Calcutta.     A 

tent-flaps  were  lifted  up,  we  all  burst  out  laughing  at  each  other — such  ob- 
jects you  never  saw  !  No  one  had  an  eyebrow  or  an  eyelash  to  be  seen ;  the 
bronzed  and  red  comjilexions  which  outdoor  life  had  produced  were  all  hid- 
den under  a  thick  coating  of  dust,  and  we  iieoded  only  a  few  streaks  of  paint 
to  have  looked  like  flown  in  the  pantomime,  for  our  faces  were  cjuite  as  white 
as  his.  We  could  see  the  dense  cloud  moving  on  to  the  southwest,  but  all 
was  beautifully  clear  behind  it ;  only  a  sliglit  haze  between  us  and  it  show- 
ed that  the  atmosi)here  was  not  quite  free  from  dust  a  little  beyond  us.  I 
looked  at  tlie  hoi-ses :  they  were  all  as  white  as  if  they  had  been  powdered 
witii  flour;  and  the  water-carriers  were  busy  filling  the  large  goatskins  whicli 
serve  tiiem  as  water-jugs,  to  give  every  live  thing  which  had  been  outside  a 
good  drink,  and  to  wasli  the  dust  out  of  their  eyes  and  ears.  Tlie  camels 
had  buried  their  noses  in  the  sand,  and  did  not  appear  to  have  suffered  at 
all." 


234  AliOUNB  THE  WOULD. 

cargo  of  ice  will  waste  from  one  third  to  one  half  in  the 
passao-e  to  India  by  the  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
but  even  with  t.liis  waste  it  is  a  profitable  shipment.  The 
raw  material  costs  little ;  a  cargo  is  very  speedily  packed 
in  a  vessel,  and  when  it  reaches  its  destination  in  the  East 
it  is  sold  at  an  immense  advance.  The  price  of  ice  at  Bom- 
bay and  Calcutta  varies  from  two  and  a  half  to  five  cents  a 
pound,  according  to  the  supply,  and  even  at  these  rates  it 
is  accounted  as  indispensable  to  living  as  in  American 
cities,  and  the  luxury  is  inconcei\ably  greater.  Owing  to 
the  extreme  heat  it  can  not  be  sent  far  into  the  country, 
but  in  former  times  it  was  sent  to  the  w^ealthy  nabobs  and 
English  residents  on  the  heads  of  relays  of  coolies,  fifty  or 
sixty  miles  in  the  course  of  a  night,  and  it  is  now  sent 
much  farther  by  rail.  It  is  also  manufactured  artificially 
in  the  interior  at  no  greater  expense  than  its  importation. 
At  Allahabad  there  is  a  large  establishment  where  the 
manufacture  has  been  successfully  and  profitably  carried 
on.  If  it  be  a  blessing  in  America,  where  the  thermometer 
sometimes  reaches  95  as  the  extreme  heat  of  the  day,  what 
a  boon  must  it  be  in  the  north  of  India,  where  for  days  and 
nights  together  the  thermometer  does  not  fall  as  low  as 
100,  and  where  it  often  reaches  in  the  day  120  and  130  de- 
grees !  But  the  most  of  the  people  in  the  interior  of  India 
never  saw  ice,  and  comparatively  few  know  any  thing  of 
its  use.     It  is  a  miracle  in  their  ideas. 


XVI. 

PUBLIC  WORKS ;  PRODUCTIONS. 

The  material  development  of  India  has  gone  forward 
with  great  rapidity  within  the  last  quarter  of  a  century, 
more  especially  since  it  came  directl}-  under  the  control  of 
the  home  government.     One  of  the  first  enterprises  under- 


PUBLIC  WORKS;  PRODUCTIONS.  235 

taken  was  the  construction  of  public  roads.  As  the  milita- 
ry and  civil  power  of  the  English  became  more  extended, 
it  was  found  necessary  to  have  better  modes  of  transporta- 
tion, and  the  old  East  India  Company  undertook  the  con- 
struction of  carriage-roads  over  the  country.  The  work  was 
vigorously  prosecuted,  and  at  great  expense.  The  Grand 
Trunk  Road  extends  from  Calcutta  to  Peshawur,  on  the 
borders  of  Afghanistan,  a  distance  of  1400  miles.  These 
roads  are  no  insignificant  works.  They  are  laid  out  by  the 
best  engineering  skill,  and  executed  in  the  most  substantial 
manner.  For  more  than  a  thousand  miles  from  Calcutta 
northwest  no  grading  was  required,  excepting  on  very  short 
distances,  but  farther  north  the  work  was  heavy.  From 
Lahore  to  Peshawur,  a  distance  of  a  little  more  than  250 
miles,  the  road  passes  over  103  large  bridges  and  459  small- 
er ones,  through  six  mountainous  chains,  and  over  immense 
embankments  on  the  marshy  borders  of  rivers.  Its  esti- 
mated cost  was  more  than  one  million  sterling.  There  are 
branch  roads  over  the  Sewalic  range  of  the  Himalaj-as,  in 
Bengal  and  the  Punjaub,  some  of  which  are  admirable 
specimens  of  engineering  and  grading,  the  surface  being  as 
smooth  as  the  roads  of  Eno-land  or  of  France.  The  soil  it- 
self  furnishes  the  material  for  their  construction.  Through 
a  great  part  of  the  plains  of  India,  small  nodules  of  lime- 
stone, called  hu7ikei\  are  found  in  large  quantities  a  foot  or 
two  below  the  surface.  It  looks,  when  taken  from  the 
ground,  as  if  it  might  have  been  broken  up  for  making  a 
Macadam  road.  When  packed  with  the  soil  and  watered, 
it  forms  a  concrete,  making  a  hard  road-bed  as  smooth  as  it 
is  durable.  There  are  several  thousand  miles  of  these  Mac- 
adam roads,  frequently  shaded  with  trees  on  either  side  to 
protect  travelers  from  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

A  work  of  still  greater  importance  to  India  has  been  the 
opening  of  extensive  canals,  designed  not  so  much  for  trans- 
portation as  for  irrigation.  The  rains  are  very  unequally 
distributed  over  the  country ;  they  are  not  altogether  equal 
in  amount  from  year  to  year  in  the  same  locality,  and  the 


23 G  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

seasons  are  so  uniformly  divided  into  rainy  and  dry  that 
the  soil  and  the  crops  frequently  suffer,  and  the  people  in 
consequence,  for  the  want  of  natural  irrigation.  Under 
die  old  Mogul  emperors  extensive  canals  were  dug  for  the 
purpose  of  w^atering  the  plains,  but  the  East  India  Compa- 
ny had  been  long  established  before  any  systematic  attempt 
was  made  to  supply  the  deficiency.  In  the  mean  time  great 
scarcity  of  rain,  and  floods  in  other  seasons,  had  brought  on 
destructive  famines,  which  more  than  decimated  the  popu- 
lation in  large  districts.  The  distress  and  loss  of  life  were 
fearful.  This  suffering  stimulated  the  government,  though 
but  too  tardily,  to  provide  against  such  calamities  by  an  ex- 
tensive system  of  irrigation.  The  Ganges  Canal,  the  chief 
work  of  this  nature,  reaching  from  Ilurdwar,  near  the  sour- 
ces of  the  river,  to  Cawnpore,  where  it  re-enters,  810  miles 
in  length  including  its  main  branches,  was  an  immense  un- 
dertaking, but  it  has  been  an  immense  benefit  to  the  coini- 
try.  The  main  canal  is  150  feet  wide,  is  the  channel  of  a 
rapid  stream,  and  in  its  course  crosses  the  Solani  River  by 
what  is  said  to  be  the  most  magnificent  aqueduct  in  the 
world.  This  structure  alone  cost  a  million  and  a  half  of 
dollars.  The  Bari  Doab  Canal,  between  the  Sutlej  and  the 
Ravi,  nearly  500  miles  in  extent,  cost  the  government  more 
than  seven  millions  of  dollars'.  The  Ganges  Canal  alone 
irrigates  a  million  and  a  half  of  acres,  and  is  not  only  a 
great  public  benefit,  but  a  soui'ce  of  large  profit  to  the  gov- 
ernment. 

The  telegraph  was  early  introduced  into  India,  connect- 
ing  the  principal  cities  north  and  south,  east  and  west. 
During  the  mutiny  it  proved  of  incalculable  importance. 
Wooden  poles  being  less  durable  in  that  climate  than  in 
our  own  and  many  other  countries,  the  wires  to  a  large  ex- 
tent are  erected  on  stone  or  brick  pillars.  There  are  now 
11,000  miles  of  telegraph  wires  in  India,  all  under  the  con- 
trol of  government,  and  subject  to  a  uniform  tariff,  without 
regard  to  distance.  A  message  of  ten  words  may  be  sent 
from  one  end  of  the  empire  to  the  other  for  one  rupee,  about 


PUBLIC  WORKS;  PRODUCTIONS.  237 

fifty  cents  in  our  money.  Within  the  last  few  years  the 
telegraph  service  has  brought  a  small  profit  to  the  govern- 
ment. The  postal  service  is  a  source  of  revenue,  although 
the  postage  is  cheaper  than  in  any  other  country,  being  a 
half  anna  (or  one  cent  and  a  half)  for  any  distance  in  the 
empire. 

The  greatest  chan2;e  of  a  material  nature  that  has  taken 
place  in  India  has  been  through  its  railways.  In  no  other 
part  of  the  world  has  this  improvement  wrought  such  a 
revolution  in  travel,  or  made  such  a  general  innovation 
upon  established  customs.  In  Oriental  countries  time  is  a 
commodity  that  has  no  appreciable  value.  In  making  a 
journey,  as  in  any  and  all  the  business  of  life,  it  has  been  a 
matter  of  no  account  to  the  natives  whether  weeks  or  hours 
M'ere  consumed ;  it  was  all  tlie  same  to  them.  Even  after 
Western  ideas  had  taken  root,  speed  was  a  plant  of  very 
slow  growth.  An  American  missionary  informed  me  that 
when  he  first  went  to  India  he  was  three  months  in  makina: 
the  journey  from  Calcutta  to  Allahabad,  a  distance  of  630 
miles,  which  is  now  made  regularly  in  about  twenty-four 
hours.  I  met  another  gentleman  in  the  north  of  India 
who  said  that,  when  he  came  to  the  countiy,  less  than  twen- 
ty years  ago,  he  was  five  months  in  making  the  passage 
from  Calcutta  to  Dehra,  Wlien  the  railroad  was  opened 
from  Delhi  to  Umballah  in  1869,  making  a  continuous  line 
from  Calcutta  about  the  same  distance  as  to  Dehra,  and  not 
far  from  it,  a  special  train  made  the  entire  distance,  1154 
miles,  in  fortv-one  hours — not  a  slio;ht  reduction  from  five 
months.  In  old  times,  the  common  mode  of  travel  up 
country  was  by  the  River  Ganges,  in  boats  which  were 
pulled  and  poled  against  the  current  at  the  rate  of  a  very 
few,  if  any,  miles  a  day.  Sometimes  the  progress  was  rap- 
idly backward  with  the  cun-ent.  If  great  haste  was  re- 
(piired,  the  palanquin  was  resorted  to  ;  and  in  India  coolies 
are  not  the  most  rapid  travelers  in  the  world. 

The  introduction  of  railways  was  at  first  strongly  op- 
posed by  the  natives  and  by  some  Europeans,  but  under 


238  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

the  enconraffement  and  substantial  aid  of  tlie  East  India 
government  the  work  was  undertaken.  Very  few  persons 
out  of  India  appear  to  have  any  idea  of  the  extent  to 
which  this  branch  of  internal  improvements  has  been  car- 
ried. The  first  train  of  cars  in  India  was  set  in  motion  in 
1852,  not  twenty  years  ago,  and  now  there  are  more  than 
5000  miles  of  railway  in  operation.  The  East  Indian  Rail- 
way extends  already  nearly  1500  miles  from  Calcutta  to 
the  northwest,  near  the  boi'ders  of  Afghanistan.  The  Great 
Indian  Peninsular  Railway,  from  Bombay  to  the  northeast, 
with  its  branches,  is  of  almost  equal  extent,  and,  besides 
these,  there  are  several  important  roads.  The  East  Indian 
had  a  very  practicable  route  laid  out  for  it  up  the  Valley 
of  the  Ganges.  That  part  of  India  is  a  vast  plain,  resem- 
bling our  Western  prairies,  or  even  more  level  and  exten- 
sive. For  more  than  a  thousand  miles  there  is  scarcely  a 
single  embankment  or  cut  of  any  extent.  Indeed,  from 
Calcutta  to  the  Himalaya  Mountains  one  rarely  meets  the 
slightest  elevation.  This  made  the  construction  of  that 
road  very  easy  ;  but  in  the  west  is  some  heavy  work.  For  a 
hundred  miles  out  of  Bombav  the  Great  Indian  Peninsular 

tj 

Railway  runs  over  and  through  a  range  of  mountains  by  a 
succession  of  ghauts,  over  immense  embankments  and  via- 
ducts of  masonry,  and  is  carried,  within  a  short  distance, 
through  twenty  tunnels  cut  in  the  solid  rock.  These  works 
have  been  executed  at  immense  expense.  An  idea  of  the 
solidit}'  of  the  railways  of  India  may  be  gathered  from  the 
fact  that,  notwithstanding  so  much  of  the  country  is  an 
open  plain,  making  their  construction,  excepting  through 
occasional  ghauts,  comparatively  easy,  the  average  cost  of 
the  4000  miles  comjileted  at  the  opening  of  the  year  1869 
was  $85,000  per  mile.  There  are  now  more  than  5000 
miles  in  operation.  They  were  built  by  private  companies, 
the  government  guaranteeing  five  per  cent,  interest  upon 
the  capital  invested,  without  which  they  could  not  have 
been  undertaken.  The  amount  of  interest  thus  advanced 
by  the   government   up  to  January  1st,  1869,  was  about 


PUBLIC  WORKS;  PRODVCTIOXS.  239 

$125,000,000,  of  which  more  than  half  liad  been  repaid 
from  the  revenues  of  the  roads.  Throughout  the  entire 
peninsula  the  rails  were  laid  with  a  uniform  gauge  of  five 
feet  six  inches.  The  narrow  gauge,  I  learn,  has  since  been 
adopted.  The  weight  of  the  rails  varies  from  sixty  to 
eighty-four  pounds  the  j'ard. 

The  route  by  rail  from  Calcutta  to  Bombay  via  Allaha- 
bad, a  distance  of  1470  miles,  was  completed  in  March. 
1S70,  a  month  too  late  for  me  to  avail  myself  of  its  facili- 
ties for  a  part  of  the  distance ;  but  the  event  was  consid- 
ered one  of  great  importance  by  travelers  to  and  from  the 
north  and  east  of  India.  Formerly  passengers  from  En- 
g-land  to  Calcutta  and  the  cities  up  the  valley  of  the  Gan- 
ges had  sailed  direct  to  Calcutta  by  the  Cape  or  through 
the  Red  Sea ;  but  now  they  land  at  Bombay,  where  they 
take  the  rail  to  Allahabad,  845  miles,  and  thence  to  Cal- 
cutta, 625  miles,  or  to  the  north  of  India.  The  time  be- 
tween Bombay  and  Calcutta,  according  to  the  Indian  Brad- 
shaw,  was  sixty-nine  hours.     It  may  be  shortened  ere  this. 

Contraiy  to  general  expectation,  the  railway's  have  been 
immensely  popular  among  the  natives.  They  are  a  travel- 
ing people,  having  been  accustomed  from  ancient  times  to 
make  long  pilgrimages,  and,  as  soon  as  the}'  became  famil- 
iar with  the  sight  of  the  cars,  thev  began  to  crowd  them 
in  great  numbers.  The  system  of  caste  was  at  first  an  ob- 
jection, inasmuch  as  a  high-caste  Brahmin  was  wont  to  con- 
sider himself  polluted  if  even  the  sliadow  of  a  low-caste 
man  fell  upon  him,  and  much  more  if  he  touched  him. 
The  companies  were  strongly  importuned  to  establish  caste 
cars,  in  conformity  with  the  social  regulations  of  the  coun- 
try ;  but  the  government  wisely  forbade  it,  and  the  advan- 
tages of  this  rapid  mode  of  travel  were  found  to  be  so 
great  that  these  stern  prejudices  were  overcome ;  and  now, 
all  who  are  not  willing  to  pay  for  the  exclusive  use  of  a 
car  are  packed  together  promiscuously.  Mohammedans 
and  Hindoos,  Brahmins  and  Pariahs,  may  be  seen  sitting 
cheek  by  jowl  as  composedly  as  if  they  had  all  been  made 


240  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

of  one  flesh.     The  raih-oads  of  India  are  thus  havinc:  an 
important  influence  in  breaking  down  the  power  of  caste. 

The  cars  in  India  are  after  the  European  pattern,  divided 
into  compartments,  but  not  equal  in  comfort  to  those  of  the 
same  classes  in  England,  and  altogether  inferior  to  those  of 
our  own  country.  The  report  of  the  Commission  sent  to 
the  United  States  by  the  East  India  government  to  exam- 
ine onr  railroads,  to  which  I  have  already  referred,  was  al- 
together favorable  to  our  system  of  construction  and  man- 
agement of  cars,  and  especially  of  the  Pullman  cars.  Im- 
mediately upon  the  publication  of  the  report,  an  order  was 
given  for  the  remodeling  of  the  carriages  and  the  construc- 
tion of  others  having  the  accommodations  of  the  Pullman 
cars.  An  apj^lication  was  also  made,  through  tlie  British 
minister  at  Washington  and  our  own  Secretary  of  State, 
for  a  competent  American  engineer  to  aid  in  remodeling 
their  whole  railway  system.  Not  in  our  own  country  have 
I  heard  more  enthusiastic  praises  tlian  I  heard  all  over 
India  of  the  grandeur  and  success  of  the  great  enterprise 
which  laid  an  iron  band  across  our  wide  continent,  and 
l)uilt  upon  it  those  rolling  palaces  which  pass  from  ocean 
to  ocean  with  the  fleetness  of  the  wind  and  almost  with  the 
ease  of  a  balloon. 

In  making  mention  of  some  of  the  productions  of  the 
country,  the  one  to  be  named  of  first  importance  as  a 
source  of  revenue  is  the  great  curse  of  China.  Opium  had 
been  raised  in  India  long  before  it  came  mider  British 
rule,  but  in  1773  the  East  India  Company,  becoming  aware 
of  its  great  pecuniary  value,  assumed  the  monopoly.  It 
has  ever  since  been  raised  under  the-direction  and  for  the 
benefit  of  government.  The  amount  exported,  nearly  all 
to  Cliina,  in  the  financial  year  of  1869-70,  was  in  value 
$58,466,650.  The  rulers  of  India  and  its  merchants  talk 
about  the  opium  market,  and  the  profits  of  the  sale,  as  they 
do  in  London  of  consols,  and  as  we  do  of  our  government 
securities,  just  as  if  it  were  not  an  unmitigated  curse  to 
the  Chinese,  who  were  compelled  at  the  cannon's  mouth 


PUBLIC  WORKS;  PRODUCTIONS.  241 

to  take  it  when  they  steadfastly  refused.  The  government 
auction  sale  at  Calcutta  is  a  scene  of  more  excitement  than 
I  ever  witnessed  at  the  Paris  Bourse  or  among  the  brok- 
ei-s  of  New  York.  I  came  one  day,  in  the  business  quar- 
ter of  the  city,  upon  a  crowd  of  thousands  of  Mohammed- 
ans, Hindoos,  Parsees,  and  other  natives,  not  to  speak  of 
Europeans,  who  were  wild  with  excitement.  For  a  mo- 
ment I  imao-ined  that  a  riot  had  broken  out :  but  I  soon 
learned  that  it  was  the  monthly  opium  sale,  in  which  more 
persons  are  interested  than  in  the  sale  of  stocks  in  our 
markets. 

Opium  is  produced  almost  exclusively  in  Bengal,  in  a 
district  lying  along  the  Ganges,  about  600  miles  long  and 
200  broad.  It  is  the  dried  juice  of  the  capsules  of  the 
common  white  poppy,  extracted  before  the  seed  is  fully 
ripe.  The  poppy -lields,  when  in  full  bloom,  resemble  green 
lakes  studded  with  white  water-lilies,  the  tract  of  country 
in  which  they  grow  being  perfectly  level.  The  following 
account  is  given  of  the  raising  of  the  poppy  and  the  man- 
ufacture of  the  drug : 

"  The  seed  is  sown  in  the  beginning  of  N^ovember ;  it 
flowers  in  the  end  of  January,  or  a  little  later,  and  in  three 
or  four  weeks  the  capsules  or  poppy -heads  are  about  the 
size  of  hens'  eggs,  and  are  ready  for  operating  upon.  The 
collectors  each  take  a  little  instrument  called  a  nushtur, 
made  of  three  or  four  small  blades  of  iron  notched  like  a 
saw ;  with  this  they  wound  each  full-grown  poppy-head  as 
they  make  their  way  through  the  plants  in  the  Held.  This 
is  done  early  in  the  morning,  before  the  heat  of  the  sun  is 
felt.  During  the  day  the  milky  juice  of  the  plant  oozes 
out,  and  early  on  the  following  morning  it  is  collected  by 
scraping  it  off,  and  transferred  to  an  earthen  vessel  which 
the  collector  carries.  When  this  is  full  it  is  carried  home 
and  transferred  to  a  shallow  brass  dish,  and  left  for  a  time 
tilted  on  its  side,  so  that  any  watery  fluid  may  drain  out. 
This  watery  fluid  is  very  detrimental  to  the  opium  unless 
removed.     It  now  requires  daily  attendance,  to  be  turned 

Q 


242  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

frequently,  so  that  the  air  ma}^  dry  it  equally,  until  it  ac- 
(^uires  a  tolerable  consistency,  which  takes  thi*ee  or  four 
weeks.  It  is  then  packed  in  small  earthen  jars  and  taken 
to  the  go-downs,  or  factories,  where  the  contents  of  each 
jar  is  turned  out,  and  carefully  weighed,  tested,  valued, 
and  credited  to  the  cultivator.  The  opium  is  then  thrown 
into  vast  vats,  and  the  mass,  being  kneaded,  is  again  taken 
out  and  made  into  balls  or  cakes.  This  is  done  in  long 
rooms,  the  workmen  sitting  in  rows,  carefully  watched  by 
the  overseers  to  insure  the  work  being  properly  perform- 
ed. The  balls  are  wrapped  in  layers  of  poppy  petals  and 
taken  to  a  di-ying-room,  placed  in  tiers  on  latticed  racks, 
and  continually  turned  and  examined,  to  keep  them  from 
insects  and  from  other  injury.  After  being  fully  dried 
they  are  packed  in  chests  for  the  market." 

The  drug  is  supposed  to  cost  the  government,  laid  dowm 
in  Calcutta,  400  rupees  (§200)  per  chest.  On  arrival  at  the 
government  go-downs  in  Calcutta,  it  is  sold  by  public  auc- 
tion, in  lots  of  five  chests,  to  the  highest  bidder.  On  the 
fall  of  the  hammer  the  buyer  has  always  the  option  of 
there  and  then  securing  as  many  succeeding  lots  as  he 
wishes  at  the  same  rate  as  the  lot  he  has  just  bought.  The 
purchaser  of  any  parcels  has  to  pay,  on  the  fall  of  the 
hammer,  bargain -money  at  the  rate  of  50  to  100  rupees 
per  chest,  and  the  balance  of  purchase  -  money  within  a 
fortnight.  It  is  not  compulsory,  however,  to  take  imme- 
diate delivery  of  the  opium,  as  the  government  allows  it  to 
remain,  free  of  warehouse  charge,  for  an  indefinite  period. 
These  auctions  take  place  once  eveiy  month,  a  price  of 
■100  rupees  per  chest  being  placed  on  the  drug.  All  it 
realizes  over  and  above  this  price  goes  toward  increasing 
the  revenue,  and  is  a  profit  to  the  government.  No  pri- 
vate individuals  are  allowed  to  store  opium  in  their  go- 
downs  ;  all  so  found  is  looked  upon  as  smuggled,  and  con- 
fiscated. When  a  buyer  wishes  to  export  his  purchases, 
they  are  shipped  for  him  by  the  government  agent.  For 
this  production  and  traffic  the  government  alone  is  respon- 
sible. 


PUBLIC  WOEES;  PRODUCTIONS.  243 

Another  of  the  important  and  someM^iat  peculiar  pro- 
ductions of  India  takes  its  name  from  the  country,  indigo. 
It  is  the  product  of  a  plant  of  the  order  Legwninosm.,  and 
genus  IiuUgofera,  of  which  there  are  between  one  and  two 
liundred  species.  The  species  cultivated  in  India,  Tinc- 
foria,  grows  to  the  height  of  three  or  four  feet.  The  dye 
was  known  to  the  ancients,  being  taken  to  Greece  and 
Rome  from  India,  from  which  it  was  called  Indicum^  and 
hence  indigo.  The  coloring  principle  is  contained  in  the 
stems  and  leaves,  which  yield  a  colorless  fluid,  that  is 
changed  into  the  beautiful  dye  by  fermentation.  The  seed 
is  sown  in  drills ;  the  plants  are  tender,  and  require  great 
care ;  in  about  two  months  they  begin  to  flowei-,  producing 
a  pale  red  flower,  when  they  are  cut  and  laid  in  mass  in 
great  stone  cisterns,  covered  with  water,  and  kept  down  by 
heavy  weights.  In  the  course  of  twelve  or  fourteen  hours 
fermentation  commences,  the  whole  mass  appears  to  be 
boiling,  and  bubbles  of  air  of  a  purple  hue  begin  to  rise. 
When  this  process  is  complete  the  liquid  is  drawn  off  into 
another  vat,  and  violently  agitated  until  the  coloring  mat- 
ter begins  to  precipitate  itself,  when  it  is  left  to  settle. 
The  water  is  again  drawn  off,  and  the  indio-o  dried  and 
prepared  for  commerce.  The  production  for  the  financial 
year  1869-70  amounted  in  value  to  $15,890,225.  More 
is  produced  in  India  than  in  all  other  countries  together. 

The  good  housewives,  who  are  well  acquainted  with  the 
mode  of  testing  indigo  by  putting  a  lump  into  water  to 
ascertain  whether  it  is  good  or  bad,  but  who  do  not  pre- 
cisely know  whether  the  good  will  sink  or  swim,  and  vice 
versa,  may  be  informed  that  the  best  quality  will  float  on 
water.  The  poorer  qualities,  having  much  earthy  matter, 
sink.  The  finest  indigo,  in  a  dry  state,  will  scarcely  make 
a  mark  on  white  paper. 


244  ABOU^'I)  THE  WORLD. 


THE  NATIVES  OF  INDIA ;  CASTE,  ETC. 

Before  reaching  India,  I  met  with  a  very  intelligent 
gentleman  who  had  spent  many  years  in  that  country.  In 
the  course  of  conversation  I  made  some  remark  in  regard 
to  native  society,  to  which  he  immediately  replied,  with  an 
exclamation, "  Native  society  !  Wliy,  there  is  no  such  thing. 
The  women  (referring,  of  course,  to  the  more  wealthy  class- 
es) never  see  any  one,  and  the  men  spend  their  time  be- 
tween eating  and  sleeping." 

This  is  a  strong  way  of  putting  the  matter ;  but,  with 
exceptional  cases,  it  is  the  truth.  There  is  no  social  life 
among  the  native  population  of  India.  The  woman  is  no 
society  to  her  husband,  the  only  man  whom,  as  a  rule,  she 
ever  meets ;  the  man  is  no  society  to  his  wife :  he  regards 
her  as  belonging  to  an  inferior  order  of  beings,  created 
only  to  minister  to  liis  pleasure  and  comfort  as  a  servant ; 
there  is  nothing  like  social  intercourse  between  brothers 
and  sisters ;  and  outside  of  the  family,  society,  in  our  un- 
derstanding of  the  term,  has  no  existence.  Life  is  a  dreary 
waste,  judging  it  by  the  standards  which  prevail  in  all 
countries  with  which  we  are  most  familiar. 

It  is  not  for  the  want  of  people  that  there  is  no  society 
in  India.  Within  the  compass  of  1900  miles  in  one  direc- 
tion and  1500  in  another  (taking  the  diamond-shaped  coun- 
try in  its  greatest  length  and  breadth)  there  are  two  hun- 
dred millions  of  people  thrown  together.  The  most  nu- 
merous of  these  are  the  Hindoos,  who  compose  tliree 
fourths  of  the  population,  or  about  150,000,000.  Then 
come  the  Mohammedans,  who  number  about  25,000,000. 
The  remaining  eighth  is  made  up  of  the  aboriginal  tribes, 
whose  immediate  descendants  still  number  several  millions. 


THE  NA  TIVES  OF  INDIA  ;  CASTE,  ETC.  245 

the  Parsees,  the  Buddhists,  the  Jews,  and  the  Christians. 
There  is  also  the  same  sprinkling  of  other  nations  which  is 
to  be  found  in  almost  every  part  of  the  world  where  an 
exclusive  system  has  not  prevailed. 

The  Hindoos  are  not  the  original  possessors  of  the  soil. 
When  they  came  into  the  land,  some  thousands  of  years 
ago,  they  found  it  already  occupied  by  a  people  wlio  had 
strayed  over  there  not  long  after  the  dispersion.  These 
tribes,  after  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  centuries,  may  still 
be  found  a  distinct  people  in  Orissa  and  other  parts  of  In- 
dia ;  but  they  are  so  small  a  part  of  the  population  that 
the  Hindoo  may  be  regarded  as  the  native  race ;  and  not 
merely  because  tlie  most  numerous,  but  because  it  has  for 
so  long  a  period  given  character  to  the  country.  Though 
not  always  the  reigning  element  among  the  people  of  In- 
dia, the  Hindoo  has  been  the  pervading  element ;  his  relig- 
ion, the  Brahminical,  has  been  the  catholic  religion ;  and 
the  great  feature  of  Ilindooism,  caste,  has  stamped  itself 
upon  the  country  as  its  prevailing  type,  a  social  system  of 
greater  power  than  any  other  that  has  appeared  in  our 
world,  save  only  the  divine  system  of  Christianity,  which 
is  destined  to  triumph  over  all. 

The  Mohammedans,  who,  many  centuries  before  the  in- 
troduction of  European  commerce  and  power,  established 
themselves  by  successive  conquests,  and  at  length  became 
the  ruling  class,  retain  their  religious  characteristics,  though 
adapting  themselves  in  many  of  the  habits  of  life  to  the 
country  of  whicli  they  took  possession.  They  introduced  a 
splendor  of  architecture  and  a  gorgeous  style  of  life,  which 
culminated  in  the  magnificence  that  marked  the  Mogul 
dynasty,  the  monuments  of  which  have  not  passed  away 
with  the  destruction  of  their  power  in  the  East. 

It  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  Oriental  life  that  these  diifer- 
ent  races,  having  religions  not  only  different,  but  diametri- 
cally opposed,  have  lived  together  Avith  so  little  outbreak- 
ing hostility.  The  Plindoos  are  the  grossest  idolaters  that 
have  ever  existed.     Their  forms  of  idol-worship  and  service 


246  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

have  readied  tlie  lowest  degradation,  and  yet  the  Moham- 
medans, whose  religion  is  essentially  a  protest  against  idol- 
atry, have  lived  with  them  for  long  centuries,  and  each 
have  maintained  their  own  religion  intact.  The  Moham- 
medan power  came  into  India  with  its  chief  weapon  of 
conversion,  the  sword,  in  hand,  and  for  a  time  it  was  plied 
not  without  effect.  Some  succeeding  emperors  exhibited 
the  spirit  of  proselytism,  but,  as  a  general  thing,  Moham- 
medans and  Hindoos  have  lived  together  with  remarkable 
tolerance  of  each  other's  antagonistic  faiths. 

The  Sikhs,  who  were  once  a  powerful  community  in  the 
north  of  India — powerful  with  their  swords,  and  even  now 
physically  the  finest  race  in  all  the  land — were  the  product 
of  an  attempt  to  combine  the  two  religions.  After  this 
new  religion  had  been  well  established,  it  ended  in  attack- 
ing both  Hindooism  and  Mohammedanism  ;  but,  though  it 
developed  a  hardy,  warlike  community,  who  are  still  distin- 
guished as  soldiers,  it  has  never  had  any  great  influence 
upon  the  religious  thought  or  faith  of  the  country. 

Of  tlie  Parsees,  the  followers  of  Zoroaster,  and  descend- 
ants of  the  ancient  Fire-worshipers  of  Persia,  who  are  con- 
fined chiefly  to  the  city  and  vicinity  of  Bombay,  I  shall 
speak  in  another  place. 

This  brief  enumeration  of  some  of  the  constituent  ele- 
ments of  the  population  of  India  will  give  little  idea  of 
that  curious  piece  of  mosaic  upon  which  one  looks  when 
he  lands  in  that  interesting  country.  In  Eastern  Asia,  in 
China  or  Japan,  for  instance,  every  thing  is  of  one  type. 
The  Japanese  or  Chinaman  that  you  meet  on  entering  his 
country  is  the  Japanese  or  Chinaman  that  you  meet  every 
where.  His  face  is  the  same.  His  form  is  the  same.  His 
dress  is  the  same.  But  every  thing  is  different  in  India. 
The  mixed  crowd  that  we  saw  on  the  banks  of  the  Hoogly 
as  we  reached  Calcutta,  with  their  varied  costumes  of  di- 
verse colors,  was  only  a  picture  of  the  great  multitude  that 
one  sees  in  traveling  through  the  country.  The  very  as- 
pect of  the  people  is  a  study  of  which  one  never  grows 


THE  NATIVES  OF  INDIA;  CASTE,  ETC.  247 

weaiy,  it  is  so  diversified.  The  many  languages  that  he 
hears  will  remind  him  of  the  confusion  of  tongues  at  an 
earlier  period  of  the  race.  The  occupations  of  the  people, 
so  different  from  those  to  which  he  has  been  accustomed, 
will  be  to  him  an  endless  source  of  entertainment,  if  not  of 
instruction.  If  he  goes  into  their  bazars  and  market-places, 
his  curiosity  will  be  still  more  excited.  Their  habits  and 
customs,  as  far  as  he  is  allowed  to  observe  them,  will  keep 
awake  all  his  powers  of  observation. 

The  costumes  of  the  Hindoos  are  the  same  that  were 
worn  lono;  centuries  before  the  Christian  era.  That  of  the 
men  usually  consists  of  two  pieces  of  wide  cotton  cloth,  one 
of  which  is  wrapped  around  the  waist  and  falls  to  the  calf 
of  the  leg,  the  other  thrown  loosely  over  the  shoulder.  A 
shawl  or  turban  of  some  kind  upon  the  head  completes  the 
dress.  The  women  have  a  single  piece  of  cloth,  silk  or  cot- 
ton, plain  or  colored,  eight  or  ten  yards  long,  which  is  first 
partly  tied  around  the  waist,  forming  a  garment  that  reach- 
es to  the  feet ;  the  rest  is  then  passed  around  the  body  and 
over  the  head,  falling  down  the  back.  A  tight  bodice  is 
fi-equentl}'  worn  underneath.  The  dress,  especially  that  of 
the  women,  has  a  graceful  appearance,  and,  as  the  colors 
are  often  bright,  a  company  together  presents  a  striking 
appearance.  Until  after  the  Mohammedan  conquest  no 
clothes  that  were  cut  or  sewn  were  wora,  and  by  some  they 
are  still  regarded  as  niilawf  ul.  But  loose  trowsers  are  noM' 
frequently  worn,  even  by  Hindoos.  The  wealthier  classes 
among  the  natives,  both  Mohammedan  and  Hindoo,  indulge 
fi'eely  in  dress,  wearing  the  richest  brocades  and  finest  mus- 
lins, trimmed  with  gold  and  silver  lace.  They  are  all  and 
equally  fond  of  jewels  and  other  ornaments,  the  women 
having  no  limit  to  their  decoration  except  the  extent  of 
their  means.  The  most  valuable  gems  are  usually  set  un- 
cut, some  of  them  having  been  handed  down  in  their  rough 
state  through  many  generations.  The  natives  of  India  have 
an  almost  instinctive  appreciation  of  pure  and  valuable 
gems,  which  are  estimated,  not  according  to  their  outward 


248  AROUXD  THE  WORLD. 

aspect,  but  their  intrinsic  worth.  The  common  people  ex- 
hibit their  fondness  for  jewehy  by  a  profusion  of  orna- 
ments. They  have  rings  in  their  ears  and  rings  in  their 
noses,  necklaces,  armlets,  and  anklets  without  number,  wind- 
ing off  with  rings  on  their  toes.  The  rings  worn  in  the 
nose  are  usually  put  through  the  side  of  the  nostril,  and 
sometimes  are  several  inches  in  diameter — extremely  incon- 
venient, to  say  the  least.  The  different  races  and  religions 
may  all  be  distinguished  by  their  dress,  even  though  it  be 
of  the  same  general  style.  The  Hindoos,  for  instance,  fast- 
en the  tunic,  or  vest,  upon  the  right  side ;  the  Mohammed- 
ans on  the  left. 

The  condition  of  woman  among  the  natives  of  India,  as 
in  all  the  East,  has  been  very  defectively  represented.  She 
is  nowhere  elevated  to  her  ti-ue  position  as  the  equal  com- 
panion of  man ;  she  is  excluded  from  the  ordinary  social 
intercourse  of  life ;  her  apartments  are  usually  in  striking 
contrast  with  those  of  her  assuming  lords,  barren  of  f  u]-ni- 
ture,  and  cheerless  in  appearance;  her  person  is  decked 
with  costly  apparel  and  more  costly  jewels,  but  only  as  a 
doll  is  ornamented  to  gratify  the  pride  of  the  possessor ; 
among  the  poorer  classes  she  is  often  made  a  mere  beast  of 
burden  ;  by  none  is  she  deemed  worthy  of  education  ;  and 
yet,  with  all  this,  I  was  sm-prised,  after  all  I  had  heard,  to 
find  that  she  exerts  so  great  an  influence,  and  that  so  many 
women,  breaking  through  all  the  disadvantages  and  obsta- 
cles which  surround  them  in  Oriental  life^ — not  by  stepping 
out  of  the  narrow  sphere  assigned  them,  but  by  mere  force 
of  intellect  and  character — make  their  power  felt.  The 
truth  is,  that  since  the  foundation  of  human  society,  woman 
lias  been  a  power  in  the  world  the  world  over.  In  India, 
as  in  China,  the  mother,  ignorant  as  she  is,  has  the  mould- 
ing of  the  rising  race,  and  not  a  few  hold  the  sceptre  in  the 
household  even  over  those  who  claim  to  be  of  a  higher  or- 
der by  virtue  of  their  sex. 

In  the  records  of  all  the  as-es  there  are  evidences  of  the 
great  influence  of  woman  among  the  Hindoos,  and  still 


i!5 


THE  NATIVES  OF  INDIA ;  CASTE,  ETC.  249 

more  among  the  Mohammedans.  The  most  beantif  nl,  cost- 
ly, and  magnificent  monument  ever  erected  to  a  mortal 
stands  to-day  in  the  heart  of  Hindostan.  It  was  built  by 
one  of  the  Mogul  emperors  as  the  tomb  and  memorial  of 
his  wife.  While  she  lived  she  held  his  heart  and  his  throne 
in  her  hands,  and  when  she  died  he  poured  out  his  wealth 
upon  her  grave.  A  still  more  remarkable  woman  was  the 
wife  of  the  Emperor  Jehangeer,  of  whom  the  historian 
writes, "  Her  influence  over  the  emperor  must  have  been  as 
great  as  the  most  ambitious  of  her  sex  could  desire.  He 
took  no  step  without  consulting  hei',  and  on  eveiy  affair  in 
which  she  took  an  interest  her  will  was  law.  Previous  to 
his  marriage  the  emperor  had  been  intemperate,  capricious, 
and  cruel.  Through  her  influence  his  habits  and  conduct 
were  greatly  improTcd,  if  not  entirely  reformed.  The  cer- 
emonies, manners,  and  usages  of  the  court  were  remodeled 
l)y  her ;  its  splendor  was  increased  by  her  arrangements, 
while  its  expenses  were  diminished  by  her  management." 
These  are  exceptional  cases ;  but  the  influence  of  woman  in 
the  East,  notwithstanding  her  general  degradation  and  her 
disadvantages,  is  far  greater  than  we  are  often  told.  Nor 
are  the  women  of  the  higher  classes  so  unhappy  as  is  gen- 
erally supposed.  Their  wants  are  fewer  than  those  of  wom- 
en in  more  enlightened  countries,  and  such  as  they  feel  are 
usually  well  supplied.  Not  being  educated,  they  are  gen- 
erally content,  if  not  happy  in  their  lot. 

There  is  still  a  large  amount  of  wealth  among  the  na- 
tives, although  so  many  kings  and  princes  have  lost  their 
territories  and  their  revenues  by  the  encroachments  of  the 
latest  conquerors  of  the  country.  Some  of  them  live  lav- 
ishly, after  the  style  of  former  sovereigns.  I  saw  recently 
a  statement  in  one  of  the  India  papers  that  the  Maharajali 
of  Travancore  ("  May  his  weight  never  be  less,"  exclaimed 
the  editor),  in  anticipation  of  his  investiture  with  the  dig- 
nity, was  weighed  in  scales  against  gold,  and  the  gold  dis- 
tributed among  the  Brahmins.  The  gold  was  coined  into 
pieces  varying  from  9.28  grains  to  78,65  grains.    The  whole 


250  AROUND  TUE  WOULD. 

expense  of  the  ceremony,  including  the  feeding  of  some 
ten  thousand  Brahmins,  was  acknowledged  to  be  160,000 
rupees,  which,  with  other  ceremonies  that  must  be  per- 
formed before  the  Maharajah's  elevation,  would  amount  to 
more  than  $150,000. 

The  subject  of  food  is  one  of  paramount  importance 
with  all  classes  of  the  natives,  not  merely  as  to  how  it  shall 
be  obtained,  but  still  more  as  to  what  shall  be  eaten.  The 
J3ralimins  eat  no  animal  food  of  any  kind,  having  a  relig- 
ious abhorrence  of  the  destruction  of  life.  Some  of  them 
have  the  water  they  drink  carefully  strained  lest  it  should 
contain  a  gnat.  Even  eggs  are  forbidden,  as  possessing 
the  germ  of  animal  life.  All  Hindoos  of  every  caste  ab- 
stain fi'om  beef.  Mohammedans,  of  course,  eschew  pork. 
Brahmins  and  others  of  high  caste  abstain  from  all  intoxi- 
cating drinks,  using  only  water  or  pure  milk.  In  Bengal 
the  people  live  largely  upon  rice,  but  in  the  north  of  India 
wheat,  and  barley,  and  other  cereals  are  the  staples.  Very 
little  animal  food  is  used  by  any  of  the  natives. 

The  most  strikino;  characteristic  of  Hindoo  society,  if  so- 
ciety  it  may  be  called— that  which  constitutes  its  very 
frame-work,  as  much  as  do  the  bones  and  tendons  of  the 
human  system,  the  like  to  which  is  found  among  no  other 
people,  from  the  civilized  to  the  savage — is  caste.  Most 
nations  and  tribes  have  their  distinctions,  some  of  them 
hereditary  and  strongly  marked,  but  nowhere  else  is  there 
such  a  system  of  caste  as  that  which  is  found  in  India.  It 
is  very  difficult  to  describe  it  so  that  it  may  be  compre- 
hended by  those  who  have  not  seen  its  workings,  although 
its  rules  are  well  defined  and  more  unchangeable  than  the 
laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians. 

The  term  caste  is  of  modern  origin,  derived  fi'om  the 
Portuguese  in  the  thirteenth  century,  but  the  thing  itself  is 
as  old  as  the  Aryan  invasion,  centuries  before  the  Christian 
era.  The  Aryans,  from  whatever  quarter  of  Asia  they 
came,  brought  with  them  a  well-defined,  social,  and  civil 
polity,  which  at  once  took  root  in  a  congenial  soil,  and  has 


THE  NATIVES  OB'  INDIA;   CASTE,  ETC.  251 

continued  to  flourish  until  the  present  time.  Its  roots  run 
deeper  and  are  more  firmly  fixed  than  those  of  any  other 
social  system  in  existence.  Caste,  which  is  not  witliout  its 
advantages  in  such  a  state  of  society  as  that  which  has  pre- 
vailed in  India,  is,  nevertheless,  the  mighty  barrier  which 
opposes  all  progress  and  elevation,  and  the  great  obstacle 
in  the  way  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

According  to  the  Laws  of  Menu,  a  work  supposed  to 
have  been  written  about  nine  hundred  years  before  Christ, 
Hindoo  society  is  divided  into  four  grand  classes :  1.  The 
Brahmins,  who  are  said  to  have  emanated  from  the  mouth 
or  head  of  Brahma,  the  Creator,  and  who  are  the  chief  of 
all  created  beings,  the  head  of  society,  the  teachers  and 
priests  for  all  others.  A  Brahmin  is  to  be  treated  with  the 
most  profound  respect  even  by  kings ;  his  life  and  person 
are  protected  by  the  severest  laws  in  this  world,  and  by  the 
most  tremendous  denunciations  for  the  w^orld  to  come. 
They  are  supposed  to  have- the  power  of  blessing  and  curs- 
ing all  others.  2.  The  second  class,  the  Kshatryas,  who 
sprang  from  the  shoulders  and  arms  of  Brahma,  are  the 
military  class,  and  have  something  of  a  sacred  character ; 
they  are  the  executive  class.  The  Brahmins  draw  up  and 
interpret  the  laws,  but  the  Kshatryas  administer  them,  so 
that  these  two  classes  are  in  a  measure  dependent  upon 
each  other.  3.  The  third  class,  the  Vaishyas,  sprang  from 
the  thighs  or  loins  of  Brahma,  and  are  the  mercantile  class, 
the  men  of  business.  It  is  their  province  to  carry  on  trade, 
cultivate  the  soil,  keep  cattle,  and  to  acquire  and  practice 
all  useful  knowledge.  4.  The  fourth  class,  the  Sudras, 
sprang  from  the  feet  of  Brahma.  They  are  the  servile 
class ;  they  are  to  serve  the  three  higher  classes,  especially 
the  Brahmins,  and  never  to  aspire  to  the  dignity  or  priv- 
ileges of  the  others ;  they  are  neither  to  acquire  property, 
nor  to  acquire  knowledge  by  reading,  but  to  remain  in  an 
abject  condition  all  their  days  and  through  all  generations. 

These  may  be  called  the  ideal  laws  of  caste  as  found  in 
the  ancient  books,  but  the  two  middle  classes  have  now  no 


252  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

very  distinct  existence.  The  Bralimins  are  the  only  high 
caste,  the  otlier  three  having  been  subdivided  until  there 
are  eighteen  principal  and  more  than  a  hundred  minor 
classes,  every  trade,  and  profession,  and  employment  form- 
ing a  separate  caste,  from  which  no  one  can  rise  to  a  high- 
er, or  even  descend  to  a  lower.  A  man,  by  breaking  the 
rules  of  his  particular  order,  as  by  eating  or  drinking  with 
a  person  of  a  lower  caste,  becomes  an  outcast,  and  will  be 
equally  spurned  by  those  above  and  below  him.  The  dis- 
tinction is  hereditary,  and  does  not  depend  upon  any  ac- 
quired position.  No  outward  social  rank  confers  the  priv- 
ilege. The  poorest  Brahmin  in  India  would  consider  him- 
self defiled  for  all  time,  and  would  be  so  considered  by  all 
others,  if  he  were  to  eat  with  the  Emperor  of  the  Russias. 
The  Governor  General  of  India  could  not  find  a  man  of 
the  lowest  caste  who  would  be  willing  to  partake  of  his 
hospitality.  Brahmins  are  often  found  in  comparatively 
humble  positions  in  life,  but  the  loftiest  Hindoos  who  do 
not  belong  to  their  caste  must  pay  them  reverence.  At 
Calcutta  I  saw  a  high-caste  Hindoo  who  was  employed  by 
a  wealthy  merchant  as  a  porter,  but  the  rich  Hindoo  could 
never  pass  the  high-caste  man  who  was  waiting  at  his  dooi* 
without  making  a  humiliating  sign  of  obeisance  and  of 
real  subjection. 

The  rules  of  caste  are  broken  not  by  crime.  A  man 
may  commit  murder,  adultery,  theft,  or  perjury,  and  even 
be  convicted  of  such  crimes,  without  losing  caste;  but  if 
he  violates  any  of  the  ceremonial  laws,  especially  if  he 
should  eat  with  a  European,  or  even  with  a  Mohammedan 
of  India,  or  with  any  one  not  belonging  to  his  class,  he 
would  be  degraded,  and  only  by  the  most  humiliating  pro- 
cess of  atonement,  and  by  paying  an  enormous  sum,  could 
he  be  restored,  if  at  all.  A  Brahmin  was  once  forced  by  a 
European  to  eat  meat.  Although  his  offense  was  involun- 
tary, he  could  not  be  restored  after  three  years'  penance, 
even  by  the  oifer  of  forty  thousand  dollars  ransom.  He 
subsequently  regained  his  former  position  by  the  payment 


THE  NATIVES  OF  INDIA;  CASTE,  ETC.  253 

of  a  hundred  thousand.  While  I  was  in  India  a  hio-h- 
caste  Hindoo  was  present  at  an  entertainment,  partly  so- 
cial and  partly  official,  given  by  Europeans,  and  partook  of 
some  article  of  food  in  their  societ}^  He  was  afterward 
compelled  to  pay  a  heavy  fine,  and  to  eat  the  excrements 
of  beasts,  and  humble  himself  before  an  idol  with  costly 
presents,  before  he  could  be  recognized  by  those  of  his 
own  caste.  It  is  not  merely  the  pride  of  a  clan,  or  the 
rule  of  a  sect;  there  is  an  inborn,  ingrained  feeling  in  a 
Hindoo  which  makes  the  laM's  of  his  caste  seem  inexora- 
ble and  essential.  He  is  bound  by  an  invisible  but  mighty 
chain,  which  it  is  next  to  impossible  for  him  to  break.  If 
he  violates  the  rules  of  caste  he  is  dri^'en  from  home,  and 
friends,  and  society,  an  object  of  contempt  and  execration, 
and  any  friend  who  should  give  him  shelter  or  counte- 
nance would  become  an  outcast.  Neither  parents,  nor  wife, 
nor  children  would  be  allowed  to  hold  intercourse  with 
him. 

This  is  the  penalty  that  every  Hindoo  incurs  who  be- 
comes a  Christian,  and  caste  thus  proves  one  of  the  most 
serious  obstacles  to  the  progress  of  the  Christian  religion. 
Even  the  lowest  Sudra  becomes  an  outcast  if  he  enters 
into  fellowship  with  Christians ;  and  partaking  of  the  holy 
communion  is  an  act  which  would  effectually  cut  him  off 
from  all  future  intercourse  with  liis  own  people.  It  is  a 
severe  test,  but  just  such  a  test  as  was  indicated  by  the 
promise  of  the  Savior :  ''  Every  one  that  hath  forsaken 
houses,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife, 
or  children,  or  lands,  for  my  name's  sake,  shall  receive  an 
hundred  fold,  and  sliall  inherit  everlasting  life."  The  Ro- 
man Catholics,  on  coming  to  India  in  the  sixteenth  cent- 
ury, finding  the  power  of  caste  so  strong,  conformed  to 
it,  employing  low-caste  priests  to  minister  to  those  of  low 
caste,  the  Jesuit  fathers  carrying  the  sacraments  to  the 
sick  and  dying  only  in  secret  and  by  night.  But  it  was 
justly  said  of  them  that  they  became  Hindoos  instead  of 
makino;  the  Hindoos  Christians.     Swartz  and  other  Ger- 


254  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

tnan  missionaries  made  some  concessions  to  caste,  but  all 
English  and  American  Protestant  missionaries  have  con- 
sistently and  persistently  refused  to  give  it  any  place  in 
the  Christian  Church. 

Pariahs,  a  numerous  class,  are  lower  than  the  Sudras ; 
they  are  literally  outcasts ;  but  even  they  have  their  dis- 
tinctions and  their  rules,  to  which  they  rigidly  adhere,  al- 
though they  occupy  the  lowest  depths  in  the  social  scale. 

The  system  of  caste  is  becoming  undermined  by  educa- 
tion and  by  the  influence  of  Christianity.  Intercourse  witli 
intelligent  Europeans  is  slowly  operating  upon  the  public 
mind  to  w^eaken  its  power.  The  introduction  of  railways, 
as  1  have  already  mentioned,  by  compelling  men  of  all 
castes  to  sit  together,  often  crowded  into  a  compact  mass, 
has  done  much  to  overcome  the  senseless  notion  that  one 
man  is  spiritually  defiled  by  touching  another,  or  by  any  sim- 
ple act  of  social  intercourse.  The  destruction  of  the  sys- 
tem does  not  seem  so  hopeless  or  so  remote  as  it  once  did. 


XVIII. 

CALCUTTA  TO  BENARES. 


I  HAVE  interjected  some  information  in  regard  to  the 
government  and  people  of  India  in  order  that  I  may  be 
more  free  to  continue  the  narrative  of  the  journey  as  far 
north  as  the  Himalaya  Mountains,  and  thence  to  Bombajt 

Down  to  the  last  hour  of  our  stay  in  Calcutta,  which  had 
been  protracted  many  days,  our  visit  was  full  of  interest. 
We  had  entered  it  perfect  strangers,  but  among  the  Scotch 
and  English  residents,  as  well  as  among  the  American  rep- 
resentatives, we  had  found  warm  friends,  whose  acquaint- 
ance we  would  gladly  have  cultivated  longer,  but  our  plans 
of  travel  through  India  made  it  necessary  to  improve  the 
cool  season.     In  that  far-off  land  there  is  a  warmth  of  hos- 


CALCUTTA  TO  BENARES.  255 

pitality  that  is  all  the  more  welcome  so  far  from  home,  and 
we  recall  with  great  delight  the  pleasant  social  scenes  in 
which  it  was  our  privilege  to  mingle.  Nationality  was  quite 
forgotten  until  we  were  invited  specially  to  meet  a  party  of 
American  friends,  when  thoughts  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes, 
and  talk  of  cities  and  scenes  over  which  they  wave,  and  of 
mutual  fi'iends  whose  home  was  beyond  all  the  seas,  quick- 
ened the  pulsations  of  our  hearts.  The  United  States  have 
some  noble  representatives  in  Calcutta,  of  whom  I  would 
speak  did  not  the  rules  of  hospitality  forbid. 

We  regretted  being  obliged  to  leave  just  at  the  time  we 
did,  as  we  should  miss  the  grand  durbar  to  be  held  in  hon- 
or of  Prince  Alfred,  who  was  to  arrive  within  a  day  or 
two.  We  had  seen  the  displays  at  Shanghai  and  Hong 
Kong ;  but  his  coming  to  Calcutta,  the  capital  of  England's 
richest  possession,  was  the  occasion  of  one  of  the  most  bril- 
liant scenes  witnessed  in  India  since  the  days  of  the  old  Mo- 
gul emperors.  The  ruling  dignitaries  from  all  parts  of  the 
empire  were  summoned  to  the  capital,  and  with  them  were 
invited  the  native  princes  and  rajahs  of  high  degree,  who 
came  prepared  to  join  in  the  demonstrations  with  all  the 
show  of  Eastern  pomp  and  circumstance.  Trains  of  ele- 
phants had  been  sent  from  the  north,  and  the  procession 
was  to  be  one  of  true  Oriental  magnificence.  The  scene  at 
the  Government  House,  when  all  the  princes  appeared  in 
full  costume  and  dignity,  was  dazzling  beyond  description. 

It  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night  when  we  were  driven 
to  the  banks  of  the  Hoogly,  to  cross  over  to  the  cars  of  the 
East  India  Railway  that  were  to  take  us  twelve  hundred 
miles  to  the  north.  The  shadows  had  fallen  over  the  streets 
of  the  City  of  Palaces;  the  noisy  tumult  of  the  day,  in 
which  thousands  of  Orientals  and  Europeans  had  joined, 
making  the  thoroughfares  a  scene  of  gay  confusion,  was 
over ;  in  almost  profound  stillness  we  passed  up  the  Chow- 
ringee  Road,  by  the  Government  House,  thi'ough  the  main 
streets,  past  the  site  of  the  Black  Hole,  now  occupied  by 
stately  buildings,  and  reached  the  bank  of  the  river.     The 


256  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

tide  was  out,  and  we  were  obliged  to  commit  ourselves  to 
the  arms  of  the  coolies,  who  carried  us  through  the  deep 
mud  of  the  river  to  the  small  boat  in  which  our  luggage 
was  awaiting  us.  We  were  not  subjected  to  the  trick  which 
the  boatmen  played  upon  some  other  travelers.  The  price 
of  ferriage  had  been  agreed  upon  beforehand,  but  in  the 
middle  of  the  stream  the  ingenious  Hindoo  boatmen  de- 
manded more  pay,  and  gave  their  passengers  the  choice  of 
complying  with  the  demand  or  leaving  the  boat.  The  latter 
alternative  was  not  altogether  convenient  in  the  circumstan- 
ces, and  they  were  compelled  to  hand  over  the  extra  pay. 

Howrah,  the  terminus  of  the  East  India  Railway,  is  di- 
rectly opposite  Calcutta.  It  is  a  place  of  no  importance  in 
itself,  but  the  railway  station  and  the  works  of  the  road, 
with  its  extensive  business,  have  built  up  a  small  town  on 
the  borders  of  the  jungle.  Here,  in  a  dimly -lighted  depot, 
and  still  more  dimly-lighted  cars,  we  arranged  ourselves  for 
a  journey  of  twenty-four  hours,  our  first  experience  of  rail- 
way traveling  since  leaving  the  shores  of  America. 

Although  the  day  had  been  exceedingly  warm,  and  the 
sun's  rays  oppressive,  if  not  dangerous,  before  morning  we 
wrapped  ourselves,  in  the  sleeping-car,  with  all  the  clothing 
we  could  find,  including  traveling -shawls  and  blankets. 
During  the  winter  months,  over  a  great  part  of  India,  the 
nights  become  extremely  cold,  so  that  the  warmest  covering 
is  agreeable.  Xot  until  the  next  morning,  and  after  we 
had  noticed  that  the  outside  of  our  car  attracted  special  at- 
tention at  each  stopping-place,  did  we  discover  that  it  bore 
the  following  placard :  "  AVhole  carriage,  two  compartments 
to  Benares  reserved :  party  of  American  ladies  and  gentle- 
men," For  its  exclusive  use  (though  not  on  the  principle 
of  caste)  we  were  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  a  friend  at 
Calcutta  and  the  politeness  of  the  railroad  oflicials  at  How- 
rah. 

Our  railway  guide-book  M-as  to  us  something  of  a  curios- 
ity from  the  novelty  of  the  names  of  the  towns  that  we 
passed  :  Pannaghur,  Raneegnnge,  Seeterampore,  Ahmood- 


CALCUTTA  TO  BENARES.  257 

pore,  Maharajpore,  Sahibgunge,  Bhangulpore,  and  many 
oihev  j^ores,  not  including  Putty -muddy -fudge -pore,  of 
which  I  have  read.  The  suffix  _^)6'/'e  is  as  common  in  India 
as  toiun  or  ton  in  our  own  country,  and  the  signification  is 
much  tlie  same. 

There  is  little  in  the  sceneiy  going  north  from  Calcutta 
that  is  attractive.  At  one  or  two  points  the  country  brealcs 
out  into  some  demonstrations  of  grandeur,  but  the  vast 
plain  of  the  Ganges  is  almost  wholly  without  variety.  It 
is  generally  in  a  state  of  cultivation — not  high  cultivation, 
for  the  whole  country  has  the  appearance  of  exhaustion 
from  its  effort  to  sustain  so  many  millions  for  thousands  of 
years.  Occasionally  we  passed  through  rich  rice-fields,  and 
the  crops  were  green  as  in  summer-time,  bnt  nowhere  did 
we  see  tlie  signs  of  good,  thrifty  tillage.  One  reason  donbt- 
less  is  that  the  people  are  not  landholders,  and  are  not  stim- 
ulated to  keep  the  land  up  to  the  maximum  of  its  produc- 
ing capacity.  It  was  a  novelty  in  agriculture  to  see  cam- 
els yoked  to  the  plow  like  oxen,  and  elephants  working  in 
the  field  with  the  sagacity  of  farmers.  They  are  frequent- 
ly employed  in  the  East  to  perform  work  which  requires  a 
discriminating  eye  and  good  judgment,  and  this,  too,  with- 
out an  overseer.  They  are  trained  to  lift  and  pile  lumber 
with  their  trunks,  which  they  do  with  as  much  exactness  as 
if  they  nsed  a  plumb-line. 

A  striking  peculiarity  of  the  great  plain  of  India,  and 
indeed  of  the  whole  of  Asia,  from  the  east  to  the  west,  as 
far  as  I  have  seen  it,  is  the  destitution  of  forests.  With 
all  the  beauty  of  verdure  and  foliage  which  marks  Japan, 
I  did  not  see,  within  the  thousand  miles  of  the  empire  that 
I  traversed,  a  single  forest  of  any  extent.  The  whole  coast 
of  China,  along  which  I  sailed  more  than  a  thousand  miles, 
and  the  interior,  as  far  as  I  penetrated  it,  had  only  sparse- 
ly scattered  trees.  Farther  inland  there  ai-e  heavily-tim- 
bered districts,  but  I  saw  none.  There  is  not  the  sign  of  a 
forest  from  Calcutta  to  the  mountains,  although  a  large 
part  of  the  country  is  in  jungle.     Even  the  Himalaya 

R 


258  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

Mountains  that  I  subsequently  crossed,  and  the  second 
range  that  I  ascended,  were  only  sprinkled  with  trees,  in 
comparison  with  the  gi-and  old  dense  forests  of  magnificent 
growth  which  form  one  of  the  sublime  features  of  Ameri- 
can scenery.  And  to  anticipate  still  farther ;  Syria,  includ- 
ing tlie  mountains  of  Lebanon,  is  almost  destitute  of  trees. 
All  that  remain  of  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  can  be  counted 
in  a  few  moments.  The  plain  of  India,  which  led  me  into 
this  digression,  has  scattered  groves  of  palm,  and  acacia, 
and  guava,  and  mango,  and  many  other  Oriental  trees,  but 
they  are  all  planted  for  shade  or  fruit.  Centuries  ago  the 
forests  were  cut  down  to  supply  the  necessities  of  an  im- 
mense population,  but  the  soil  does  not  appear  to  have 
the  reproductive  power  tliat  is  a  marked  feature  of  our 
own. 

The  night  had  gathered  around  us  before  we  reached 
Mogul-Serai,  where  we  were  transferred  to  another  short 
road,  by  which  we  reached  the  bank  of  the  Ganges  oppo- 
site Benares.  Crossing  by  a  bridge  of  boats,  we  entered  by 
moonliglit  that  ancient  and  magnificent  city — in  the  eyes 
of  a  Hindoo,  the  holiest  spot  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 

India  has  three  capitals,  although  two  of  them  are  more 
historic  than  real ;  Calcutta,  the  actual  capital,  the  seat  of 
the  British  viceroyalty ;  Dellii,  the  Mohammedan  capital, 
the  seat  of  the  old  Moo-ul  dvnastv ;  and  Benares,  the  an- 
cient  Hindoo  capital,  still  regarded  by  Brahminists  as  the 
centre  of  the  world.  It  is  the  Mecca  of  the  Hindoos,  the 
point  to  which  their  most  sacred  thoughts  turn,  and  where, 
of  all  places,  they  think  it  blessed  to  die.  Indeed,  it  is  an 
article  of  Hindoo  faith  that  the  vilest  sinner,  if  he  dies  with- 
in a  circle  of  ten  miles  around  Benares,  is  sure  of  passing 
at  once  into  everlasting  bliss.  Thousands  are  brought  to 
the  shores  of  the  Ganges  at  this  spot,  that  they  may  drink 
and  bathe  in  its  waters,  and  die  w^ithin  tlie  charmed  circle, 
with  their  eyes  resting  on  the  sacred  river.  As  soon  as 
the  breath  has  departed,  their  bodies  are  burned  upon  its 
banks,  and  the  ashes  thrown  to  mingle  witli  its  waters. 


CALCUTTA  TO  BENARES.  259 

Water  taken  from  the  ghauts  is  carried  by  pilgrims  over 
the  whole  land,  and  every  where  regarded  as  holy  water. 

The  city,  one  of  great  antiquity,  has  passed  through 
many  and  great  mutations.  Ilindooism,  and  Buddhism, 
and  Mohammedanism  have  here  successively  reigned,  the 
former  all  the  while  clinging  to  the  soil  as  its  own  sacred 
inheritance.  One  ancient  city,  about  five  miles  from  the 
present  site,  has  passed  away,  almost  from  memory,  leaving 
scarcely  a  trace  behind.  I  spent  a  morning  among  its 
sparse  but  massive  ruins,  accompanied  by  the  Eev.  Mr.  Sher- 
ring,  the  learned  antiquarian  and  historian  of  Benares,  and 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Hutton,  both  of  the  London  Missionary  Socie- 
ty, to  whom  I  was  indebted  for  most  of  the  pleasure  and 
interest  of  my  sojourn. 

The  modern  city,  if  I  may  apply  such  a  term  to  one  that 
has  stood  unchanged  for  centuries,  is  the  most  magnificent 
in  its  architecture,  and  the  most  strictly  Oriental  in  aspect 
of  all  the  cities  of  India.  There  are  grander  structures  at 
Agra  and  Delhi,  and  there  is  more  of  show  at  Lucknow, 
but  nowhere  else  does  the  traveler  find  himself  dreamino; 
over  so  constantly  the  fancies  w^hich  filled  his  imagination 
when,  as  a  boy,  he  read  the  tales  of  the  East,  or  when,  in 
riper  years,  he  lingered  over  the  pages  of  its  history.  Per- 
haps I  should  make  some  qualification  in  speaking  of  the 
grandeur  of  this  or  of  any  Oriental  city.  In  no  other  part 
of  the  world  does  distance  lend  so  much  enchantment  to 
the  view  as  in  the  East.  Domes  and  minarets,  and  palaces 
with  lofty,  fretted  porches,  and  palm-trees,  and  Oriental 
skies,  form  a  picture  that  is  truly  enchanting;  but  when 
one  attempts  to  thread  the  narrow  winding  alleys  that  are 
called  streets,  and  is  jostled  at  every  step  by  men,  and  wom- 
en, and  donkeys,  and  camels,  and  sacred  bulls,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  an  occasional  elephant,  whose  huge  dimensions  ap- 
pear to  require  more  than  all  the  space  between  the  walls, 
he  loses  sight  of  the  magnificence,  and  is  absorbed  with 
the  realities  of  the  place. 

But,  even  with  these  qualifications,  the  views  of  Benares 


260  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

wliicli  linger  in  my  memory  are  the  grandest  recollections 
of  all  the  cities  of  the  East.  As  seen  from  the  lofty  min- 
aret of  the  Mosque  of  Aurungzebe,  the  domes  of  a  thou- 
sand temples,  the  minarets  of  three  hundred  mosques,  and 
palaces  without  number,  whicli  princes  have  built,  that 
they  may  live  and  die  in  sight  of  the  holy  river,  make  up  a 
magnificent  picture.  The  city  is  skirted  with  palms  and 
acacias,  and  the  deified  peepul,  all  which  add  to  the  beau- 
ty of  the  scene. 

But,  to  see  its  real  grandeur,  one  must  look  upon  it 
from  the  Ganges.  Benares  is  situated  on  a  bluff,  rising 
precipitously  from  the  river.  Its  most  massive  structures 
have  their  foundations  laid  in  the  river  itself,  and  rise  up 
a  hundred  feet  by  terraces  or  ghauts,  broad  stone  stair- 
ways, so  that  the  palaces,  and  mosques,  and  temples  over- 
hang the  river.  The  style  of  architecture  is  gorgeous,  and 
the  whole  scene  so  enchanting  that,  as  one  floats  down  the 
stream,  he  seems  to  be  gazing  upon  a  city  built  in  fairy 
land.  Even  now,  as  I  look  back  upon  it,  and  attempt  to 
trace  with  my  pen  the  impressions  that  were  made  upon  my 
mind,  I  seem  to  be  dreaming. 

The  city  stretches  two  or  three  miles  along  the  Ganges ; 
but  its  chief  magnificence  is  crowded  into  a  single  mile 
above  the  bridge  of  boats.  The  English  town  known  as 
Secrole  stands  entirely  by  itself,  and  is  laid  out  with  broad 
streets  finely  shaded,  and  a  grand  esplanade  for  military 
evolutions.  In  driving  toward  the  river  for  the  purpose  of 
making  the  passage  down  the  Ganges  in  an  open  dinghy 
to  obtain  this  view,  we  came  at  length  to  the  city  propei", 
from  which,  by  the  narrowness  of  the  streets,  carriages  are 
excluded  as  effectually  as  by  impenetrable  walls.  Order- 
ing the  carriage  to  make  a  circuitous  route  in  order  to 
meet  us  below,  we  took  to  our  feet,  and  soon  came  to  the 
Doorgha  Kliond^  a  temple  dedicated  to  the  goddess  Door- 
gha,  but  actually  devoted  to  monkeys.  Hundreds  and 
thousands  of  these  caricatures  of  humanity,  made  more  im- 
pudent by  being  petted,  if  not  worshiped  by  the  Brahmins, 


CALCUTTA  TO  BENARES.  £61 

who  are  their  humble  servants,  filled  the  temple  and  the 
adjoining  courts,  and  swarmed  into  the  streets  and  neigh- 
])oring  grounds,  and  grinned  at  us  from  every  house-top, 
and  garden-wall,  and  tree.  They  have  the  perfect  freedom 
of  this  part  of  the  town. 

Taking  a  boat,  we  slowly  descended  the  river,  admiring 
the  splendid  panorama  of  Oriental  architecture  as  it  seemed 
to  move  past  us.  First  comes  the  Man  Mandil,  the  observ- 
atory of  Jai  Singh,  a  grand  structure,  which  still  has,  on  its 
broad  stone  roof,  charts  of  tlie  heavens  drawn  by  Indian 
astronomers  in  the  days  of  the  Mogul  emperors.  Large  in- 
struments that  wei-e  in  use  centuries  ago  are  in  its  galleries. 
Here  is  the  ghaut  leading  to  the  Golden  Temple  of  Shiva, 
the  reigning  divinity  of  the  city,  where,  on  the  following 
day,  we  saw  the  worshipers,  some  of  them  of  high  degree, 
bringing  their  offerings  in  successive  groups,  to  be  laid  on 
the  altar  and  washed  with  the  water  of  the  sacred  stream. 
Hindoo  temples  cluster  thick  around,  and  sacred  places, 
holy  wells,  and  shrines,  all  visited  by  devotees,  reminded 
us  of  Paul's  visit  to  Athens,  where  "■  his  spirit  was  stirred 
witliin  him  when  he  saw  the  city  wholly  given  to  idolatry." 
The  idols  of  Benares  number  more  than  half  a  million. 

Tiien  comes  a  succession  of  ghauts,  broad  terraces  and 
flights  of  steps  of  hewn  stone  which  line  the  river's  bank, 
and  overhanging  balconies,  from  which  the  princely  pro- 
prietors look  out  upon  the  river  which  seems  to  them  so 
near  to  Paradise.  Here  we  reach  the  great  Mosque  of 
Aurungzebe,  tlie  Mohammedan  pride  of  the  city,  whose 
foundation  walls  rise  up  from  the  water's  edge,  the  build- 
ing towering  up  in  massive  beauty,  and  the  minarets  pier- 
cing the  air  still  higher.  Great  numbers  of  Hindoos,  men 
and  women,  liave  come  down  the  long  flights  of  steps  to 
l)athe  in  the  Ganges,  and  all  along  we  see  them  performing 
their  ablutions  with  religious  solemnities,  hoping  thus  to 
wash  away  their  sins.  Otliers  are  worshiping  the  river 
itself,  bowing  often  and  repeating  their  prayers,  absorbed 
m  their  devotions,  and  apparently  unconscious  of  tlie  pres- 


262 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


THE   GBA>D   MOSQUE. 


ence  of  others.  Every  now  and  then  we  come  to  a  land- 
ing-place devoted  to  the  burning  of  the  Hindoo  dead.  We 
pass  pile  after  pile  made  ready  for  the  cremation.  From 
some  the  smoke  and  flames  are  ascending  to  perfume  the 
city,  making  this  quarter  of  the  town  almost  unendr.rable 
excepting  to  a  Hindoo. 

Leaving  the  river,  we  climbed  one  of  the  ghauts  by  a 
flight  of  more  than  a  hundred  steps,  and  re-entered  the 
city,  threading  our  way  through  the  narrow  streets.  Pres- 
ently we  encountered  one  of  the  Brahminy  bulls,  a  race  of 
animals  held  sacred  as  the  gods,  and,  knowing  the  fanati- 


CALCUTTA  TO  BENARES. 


2G3 


liUKNlNd   THE   DEAD. 


cism  of  the  Brahmins,  who  adore  them,  and  the  imperioiTS 
nature  of  the  bulls  themselves,  we  gave  him  a  wide  berth. 
These  animals,  from  time  immemorial,  have  enjoyed  the 
freedom  of  the  city,  no  one  being  allowed  to  molest  them 
in  any  wise,  or  even  to  interfere  with  their  predatory  hab- 
its. If  they  choose  to  enter  a  china-shop,  no  one  must  say 
nay,  and  if  a  grocer's  stock  happens  to  strike  tlieir  fancy, 
the  proprietor  would  not  dare  to  interfere  w^ith  their  claims. 


264 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Tliey  are,  consequently,  always  in  good  condition,  living  on 
the  fat  of  the  land.  A  few  years  since  they  had  multiplied 
to  such  an  extent,  and  had  become  so  imperious  in  their 
exactions,  that  the  English  local  authorities  determined,  if 
possible,  to  rid  the  city  of  the  nuisance,  or  at  least  to  thin 
them  out.  But  how  to  do  this  without  exciting  the  horror 
of  every  Hindoo,  and,  perhaps,  raising  a  rebellion,  was  the 
problem.  To  kill  the  Brahminy  bulls  would  be  a  thousand 
times  worse  than  to  behead  so  many  princes.  At  length 
the  problem  was  solved ;  it  was  decided  to  turn  them  out 
to  graze  in  the  jungle,  where  the  tigers,  who  have  no  Brah- 
miiiical  scruples,  made  short  work  with  them,  and  the  city 
was  relieved. 

We  had  ordered  our  can-iage  to  meet  us  at  the  bazar, 
near  the  residence  of  the  Kajah  Sir  Deo  Naraiii  Singh,  a 
distinguished  native  prince.  During  the  tei-rible  mutiny 
of  1857  he  had  remained  faithful  to  the  British  govern- 
ment, and  had  rendered  important  service,  for  which  lie 
was  made  a  Knight  Commander  of  the  Star  of  India.  The 
queen  had  made  personal  acknowledgment  of  his  services 
by  sending  an  elaborate  piece  of  silver  plate  bearing  an  ap- 
propriate inscription.  The  gentleman  who  accompanied 
us,  a  resident  of  Benares,  being  on  terms  of  familiar  ac- 
quaintance with  the  rajah,  proposed  a  call,  and,  nothing 
loth,  we  complied. 

Passing  through  an  outer  court-yard,  in  which  several 
elephants  were  in  waiting,  we  entered  a  large  flower-gar- 
den, rather  stiffly  arranged,  but  admirably  kept,  and,  as- 
cending a  flight  of  steps,  were  met  by  the  rajah's  eldest 
son,  who  has  since  succeeded  to  the  title  and  honors  of  the 
father.  Giving  us  a  cordial  welcome,  and  inviting  us  to 
the  reception-room,  he  ordered  refreshments  and  enter- 
tained us  with  conversation  in  English,  expressing  great  re- 
gret that  his  father  was  absent  on  his  estates  in  the  coun- 
try. He  gave  an  order  to  one  of  the  servants,  who  pres- 
ently returned  with  two  ghttering  silver  garlands  called 
malas,  and  the  young  rajah,  throwing  them  over  our  necks. 


CALCUTTA  TO  BENARES.  265 

said, "  This  is  the  way  we  express  hospitality  in  our  coun- 
try." We  retained  them  and  wore  them  away.  Another 
servant  brought  perfumery  for  our  handkercliiefs,  and,  as 
we  were  leaving,  we  were  presented  with  bouquets  of  flow- 
ers from  the  garden. 

The  next  morning,  as  we  were  at  breakfast,  word  was 
brought  that  the  rajah's  servants  were  entering  the  com- 
pound with  baskets  on  their  heads,  and  they  appeared  with 
presents  from  the  young  pi'ince.  There  were  all  sorts  of 
vegetables,  a  box  of  Cabool  grapes,  raisins,  nuts,  a  large  cir- 
cular cake  of  rock  cand}",  etc.,  etc.  About  two  o'clock  he 
called  upon  us  in  a  carriage,  with  his  attendants.  Being  a 
high-caste  Hindoo,  we  were  unable  to  show  him  the  usual 
rites  of  hospitality,  but  we  entertained  him  according  to 
the  best  of  our  ability,  and  gave  him  a  hearty  invitation  to 
visit  our  country,  where  we  might  reciprocate  his  atten- 
tions. 

As  he  was  leaving,  he  informed  us  that  one  of  his  ele- 
phants should  be  at  our  service  if  we  would  like  to  make 
an  excm-sion  into  the  country.  Soon  the  elephant,  with 
mahout  and  another  attendant,  appeared.  He  was  a  noble 
specimen  of  his  species,  and,  somewhat  peculiar,  mottled  or 
spotted  on  his  breast.  Obedient  to  command,  he  came 
down  upon  his  belly,  and  even  then  we  required  a  ladder 
to  mount  to  the  howdah,  the  tower  upon  his  back.  This 
was  our  first  experience  in  elephant  riding,  and,  although 
the  excursion  was  one  of  great  pleasure,  the  motion  was 
just  about  as  agreeable  as  that  of  a  boat  in  a  short  chop- 
ping sea,  or,  to  draw  a  comparison  from  the  land,  it  was 
very  much  like  making  aji  excursion  upon  the  back  of  a 
small  mountain. 

I  find  that  in  the  East  the  elephant,  while  he  has  full 
credit  for  his  sagacity,  does  not  bear  the  high  reputation 
for  fidelitv  which  is  current  in  the  West.  Even  the  best 
of  the  race,  and  those  which  have  been  long  domesticated, 
are  liable  to  freaks  which  have  the  appearance  of  insanity, 
m  which  thev  sometimes  attack  their  most  tried  friends. 


2(56  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

The  year  before,  au  old  schoolmate  of  my  own,  who  has 
beeu  many  years  in  Siam  as  a  missionary  physician,  and 
whom  I  expected  to  visit  on  my  way,  Dr.  S.  K.  House,  hav- 
ing occasion  to  go  out  several  days'  journey  from  Bankok  to 
perform  a  sui-gical  operation,  took  the  usual  mode  of  con- 
veyance for  a  long  journey,  with  suitable  attendants.  One 
morning,  having  spent  the  night  in  his  tent,  as  he  was  pre- 
paring to  start,  he  passed  by  his  elephant,  which,  for  some 
unaccountable  reason,  struck  him  down  with  his  trunk  and 
tore  him  fearfully  with  his  tusks.  He  was  obliged  to  per- 
form for  himself  the  office  of  a  surgeon,  sewing  up  his  own 
wounds,  and  it  was  several  days  before  he  could  be  moved 
from  the  scene  of  his  injury.  This  treachery  on  the  part 
of  elephants  may  be  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  are  usually 
taken  wild  and  subdued  by  severe  disciphne,  and  probably 
are  not  thoroughly  tamed.  They  may  lay  up  the  remem- 
brance of  their  subjugation  and  injuries,  and  watch  for  an 
opportunity  to  avenge  themselves. 

But  to  return  to  the  rajah.  I  was  pained,  on  reaching 
home,  to  receive  the  intelligence  of  the  death  of  the  noble 
Hindoo,  the  father,  through  the  following  tribute  to  his 
worth  which  appeared  in  the  Friend  of  India  : 

"The  death  of  Rajah  Sir  Deo  Narain  Singh,  K.  C.  S.  I., 
which  occurred  at  Benares  suddenly  on  Sunday  evening,  Au- 
gust 28th,  is  a  great  loss,  not  only  to  the  city,  hut  to  India 
generally.  During  many  years  he  occupied  a  foremost  place 
among  the  natives  in  all  matters  connected  with  the  prosper- 
ity of  the  country.  He  was  a  man  of  very  liberal  views. 
His  mind  was  noble  and  benevolent,  and  he  had  no  sympa- 
thy whatever  with  those  mere  party  questions  which  injure 
one  class  of  the  people  by  benefiting  another.  Of  good  nat- 
ural intelligence,  frank  and  courteous,  enthusiastic  and  enter- 
prishig,  his  opinions  on  all  matters  that  came  before  him 
were  those  of  a  thoughtful,  fearless,  and  honest  man.  Sin- 
cerity— valuable  every  Avhere,  and  especially  so  in  India- 
was  his  distinguishing  characteristic.  He  has  been  cut  olFin 
the  prime  of  life  and  in  the  maturity  of  his  powers.  On  sev- 
eral occasions  of  difficulty  and  danger  he  rendered  invalu- 
able assistance  to  the  government,  and,  indeed,  he  was  ever  a 


CALCUTTA  TO  BENARES.  267 

Stanch  and  loyal  friend.  In  the  year  1857  he  was  the  chief 
native  adviser  of  the  English  othcials  in  Benares,  and  it  is 
not  too  much  to  affirm  that  the  safety  of  the  city  and  neigh- 
borhood daring  those  perilous  times  was,  to  a  large  extent, 
secured  by  his  devotion  and  counsel.  For  the  imjjortant 
services  he  then  rendered,  the  government  conferred  upon 
him  the  title  of  rajah.  He  was  one  of  the  first  native  mem- 
bers of  the  Legislative  Council  of  India.  The  part  which  he 
took  in  tlie  debates  of  the  council,  during  his  term  of  office, 
proved  him  to  be  a  man  of  independent  thought,  of  clear 
judgment,  and  of  earnest  sound  convictions.  No  man  in 
Benares  was  for  a  moment  to  be  compared  with  him  in  zeal 
for  public  welfare.  His  house  was  open  to  all  comers  who 
visited  him  for  consultation  and  advice.  For  eight  years  he 
presided  over  the  Benares  Institute,  and  was  the  life  and 
soul  of  that  society.  His  death  gave  a  sudden  shock  to  the 
city,  and  both  Europeans  and  natives  alike  felt  that  they  had 
lost  their  truest  and  most  faithful  friend." 

I  subsequently  received  a  copy  of  the  Friend  of  India 
containing  an  account  of  the  investiture  of  the  son  with 
the  titles  and  dignities  of  the  father,  "  in  recognition  of  the 
faithful  and  eminent  services  of  the  late  rajah."  He  is 
now  the  Eajah  Sumbhoo  Narain  Singh.  May  he  long  wear 
his  honors  as  worthily  as  his  father ! 

The  last  morning  that  we  spent  in  Benares  we  devoted 
to  visiting  some  of  the  Hindoo  temples,  in  which  the  cit}' 
abounds.  They  are  erected  in  honor  of  all  sorts  of  gods ; 
many  of  them  by  private  munificence,  in  fulfillment  of 
vows  or  under  some  religious  impulse.  Some  of  the  tem- 
ples of  Benares  are  costly,  and  have  a  show  of  splendor 
about  them,  especially  the  Golden  Temple ;  but  it  is  more 
in  show  than  reality.  Even  the  Golden  Temple,  which  is 
the  pi'ide  of  the  Hindoos  of  Benares,  and  which  more  than 
all  others  is  resorted  to  by  pilgrims  from  afar,  is  not  at- 
tractive either  in  its  external  or  its  internal  appearance. 
The  pointed  dome,  which  is  characteristic  of  this  style  of 
buildings,  is  not  without  beauty  of  outline,  but  there  is  usu- 
ally nothing  in  the  surroundings  of  these  temples  to  make 
them  pleasing,  and  they  are  far  from  being  neatly  kept. 


203 


AROUyi)  THE  WORLD. 


A   UIJiDOO   TEMPLE. 


In  almost  all  respects  they  are  in  striking  contrast  with  the 
magniiicent  mosques  of  the  Mohammedans  in  the  same 
cities,  and  there  is  a  good  reason  for  the  contrast.  When 
the  Mohammedans  subdued  and  took  possession  of  India, 
the  J  destroyed  the  monuments  of  the  ancient  religion, 
using  the  material  for  building  their  mosques,  and  at  the 
same  time  prohibiting  the  erection  of  temples,  excepting  of 
very  limited  dimensions.  Throughout  the  Xorth  of  India, 
tlierefore,  the  Hindoos  scarcely  have  any  thing  that  can  l^e 
called  temples;  they  are  all  diminutive  structures — mere 
shrines.     Out  of  the  hundreds  or  thousands  that  I  saw,  I 


CALCUTTA  TO  BEXARES.  269 

think  there  was  not  one  that  would  measure  more  than 
twenty -five  feet  in  its  greatest  diameter.  It  is  different  in 
Southern  India,  where  some  of  the  most  extensive  struc- 
tures in  the  world  are  to  be  found. 

The  ordinary  services  at  the  temple  are  not  elaborate. 
The  worshipers  present  offerings  of  flowers,  fruits,  jewels, 
money,  etc.,  which  become  the  perquisite  of  the  priests. 
The  life  of  a  Hindoo  is  one  of  ceaseless  devotion  to  his  re- 
ligion, and  the  visit  to  the  temple  may  be  only  the  last  act 
in  a  long  service  or  pilgrimage,  or  the  initial  step  to  some 
such  enterprise,  and  consumes  but  little  time.  There  are, 
indeed,  occasions  of  grand  ceremonial  when  the  gods  are 
taken  out  for  an  airing,  but  the  shrines  themselves  afford 
no  room  for  any  gathering  of  the  people.  The  assem- 
blages take  place  at  some  consecrated  spot,  like  the  banks 
of  the  sacred  rivers.  As  we  approached  the  Golden  Tem- 
ple, we  found  it  occupied  by  a  small  party  of  distinguished 
pilgrims  from  the  up-country ;  and  when  they  had  retired 
it  was  flooded  with  the  water  of  the  Gano;es,  which  had 
been  poured  upon  their  offerings  to  sanctify  them.  The 
temple,  within  and  without,  was  in  a  very  filthy  condition. 

Benares  has  a  distinction  in  Asiatic  liistory  as  the  spot 
where  the  founders  of  Buddhism  co-mmenced  the  propaga- 
tion of  that  religion.  At  one  period  it  was  flrmlj'  estab- 
lished in  various  parts  of  India,  but  at  length  was  driven 
out  to  seek  its  home  in  more  Eastern  countries,  M^here  it  is 
still  exerting  its  sway  over  hundreds  of  millions.  The  ru- 
ins of  Sarnath,  an  extensive  Buddhist  establishment  near 
Benares,  and  the  monasteries  cut  into  the  rocky  mountains 
in  the  west  of  India,  which  I  subsequently  visited  from 
Bombay,  bespeak  the  firm  hold  wliich  it  once  had  upon  tlie 
people  among  whom  it  originated. 

The  gold  brocades  of  Benares  are  among  the  most  costly 
and  elegant  fabrics  of  the  world,  rich  and  exquisite  beyond 
description,  and  as  costly  as  they  are  beautiful.  As  the 
merchants  took  them  out  of  the  safes  and  displayed  them 
to  us,  we  could  almost  imagine  that  the  Mogul  dynasty,  in 


270 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


KUIN'e  KEAE   BENAEES. 


all  its  gorgeous  splendor,  was  to  be  re-establisliecl ;  we  could 
not  imagine  liow  otherwise  there  could  be  a  demand  for 
such  fabrics.  Some  of  them  were  held  at  900  rupees,  or 
§450,  the  square  yard. 


BENARES  TO  ALLAHABAD.  271 


BENARES  TO  ALLAHABAD. 

The  night  is  the  time  for  travel  in  India  at  all  seasons  of 
the  year.  As  there  was  little  that  was  attractive  in  the 
scenery  throngh  which  we  were  to  pass,  we  left  Benares  at 
the  same  honr  of  the  evening  at  which  we  had  entered  it. 
We  crossed  the  Ganges  in  the  beautiful  moonlight,  which 
spread  a  wondrously  weird  sheen  over  the  massive  monu- 
ments to  the  false  prophet,  upon  its  thousand  diminutive 
Hindoo  temples  and  shrines,  and  along  its  magnificent 
ghauts.  Were  we  in  the  mystical  land  of  the  Arabian 
Nights,  or  in  the  dream-land  of  Hindoo  mythology,  or  in 
the  midst  of  the  splendor  of  the  old  Mogul  dynasty  ?  We 
could  scarcely  say  until  we  had  crossed  the  Ganges,  and 
entered  the  depot  to  take  our  seats  in  the  railway  cars. 
This  was  a  modern  reality. 

At  Chunar  we  passed  a  fortress  celebrated  alike  in  Mo- 
liammedan  history  and  Hindoo  mythology,  near  which,  upon 
a  lofty  eminence,  the  Supreme  Being  is  supposed  to  be  seat- 
ed personally,  though  invisibly,  a  portion  of  every  day,  and 
the  remainder  of  the  day  at  the  sacred  city  of  Benares. 

Near  Mirzapore,  a  few  miles  farther  north,  is  the  temple 
of  the  Goddess  Kali,  which  in  former  times  was  the  resort 
of  the  Thugs,  the  discover}^  of  whose  existence  as  a  com- 
plete and  extensive  organization  not  many  years  since  struck 
terror  into  the  hearts  of  all  the  residents  of  India.  To  this 
temple  they  came  to  worship,  and  to  present  their  offerings 
to  their  tutelary  divinity  before  entering  on  any  murderous 
expedition — a  fearful  instance  of  the  power  of  a  false  sys- 
tem of  rehfjion  to  blind  its  devotees  to  the  natui-e  of  crime. 
The  goddess  is  represented  in  Bengal  with  a  hideous  black 
face  and  mouth  streaming  with  blood,  a  very  fury  in  ap- 


272  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

peai-anee.  Tlmggism,  if  not  a  religious  organization,  was 
the  next  thing  to  it.  The  fraternity,  while  living  by  mur- 
der and  robbery,  were  scrupulous  in  all  their  religious  ob- 
servances. They  were  even  more  pious  in  their  way  than 
the  banditti  of  Italy,  who  would  not  for  all  the  w^orld  eat 
meat  on  Friday,  while  they  would  not  hesitate  to  cut  off  the 
ears  of  a  refractory  traveler,  after  robbing  him,  on  any  dav 
in  the  week.  The  Thugs  never  undertook  a  criminal  expe- 
dition until  they  had  propitiated  their  Goddess  Kali,  with 
whom  they  afterward  divided  the  spoil ;  and,  being  intense- 
ly superstitious,  they  were  easily  deterred  from  the  commis- 
sion of  a  crime,  not  by  any  enormity  which  it  involved,  but 
by  the  slightest  evil  omen.  If  one  of  their  number  hap- 
pened to  sneeze  as  they  were  starting  upon  an  expedition, 
or  if  they  met  a  w^oman  with  an  empty  pitcher,  or  heard  an 
ass  bray,  the  expedition  was  abandoned.  Tliey  were  not 
ordinary  robbers.  Their  depredations  were  made  only  upon 
travelers,  natives  as  well  as  foreigners,  and  murder  was  al- 
ways the  first  step  in  the  robbery.  This  is  the  explanation 
of  the  secrecy  that  they  maintained  so  long.  The  pirate's 
maxim, "  Dead  men  tell  no  tales,"  was  one  of  their  funda- 
mental principles.  They  invariably  put  their  victims  to 
death,  usually  by  strangling  with  a  cord,  and  then  buried 
them  out  of  sight.  Each  gang  had  its  jemadar,  or  leader; 
its  guru,  or  teacher ;  its  sothas,  or  entrappers ;  its  hhuttotes, 
or  stranglers;  and  its  lughaees,  or  grave-diggers.  These 
would  usually  meet  at  some  town,  often  as  pretended  stran- 
gers to  one  another,  select  their  victims,  fall  into  company 
with  them,  and  travel  for  days  before  seizing  the  opportu- 
nity for  their  meditated  crime. 

The  discoverv  of  this  extensive  orsi-anization  was  made  in 
the  year  1829.  Individuals,  and  even  gangs,  had  been  de- 
tected from  time  to  time,  and,  on  being  convicted  of  mur- 
der, had  been  executed,  but  it  had  never  been  known  that 
all  over  India  a  secret  association  existed,  with  officers,  and 
regulations,  and  pass- words,  which  had  been  devoted  to  this 
species  of  crime.     One  evening  in  the  year  named  above. 


BEXARES  TO  ALLAHABAD.  273 

as  Major  Sleeman,  the  Deputy  Commissioner  of  the  English 
for  the  Sangor  District,  was  seated  at  the  door  of  liis  tent, 
a  native  came  up  to  him  in  great  haste,  threw  himself  at 
his  feet,  and  begged  to  make  a  commmiication  of  great  im- 
portance, but  to  his  ear  alone,  Mrs.  Sleeman,  who  was 
present,  retired,  and  the  man  then  confessed  that  he  was 
the  leader  of  a  gang  of  Thugs,  who  were  near,  and  that  the 
grove  in  which  Major  Sleeman's  tent  was  pitched  was  fill- 
ed with  the  o-raves  of  those  who  had  been  murdered  from 
time  to  time.  A  search  was  made,  and  his  words  proved  to 
be  true.  The  gang  was  apprehended,  information  was  ob- 
tained from  one  and  another  source  until  the  proof  of  the 
existence  of  the  organization  in  nearly  every  province  and 
district  of  India  was  obtained.  A  knowledge  of  their  pro- 
ceedings, their  regulations,  their  secret  signs,  and  of  the 
fearful  extent  of  their  crimes,  was  obtained  and  laid  before 
government.  The  most  thoi'ough  measures  for  their  sup- 
pression were  adopted,  and  carried  out,  it  is  now  believed, 
with  perfect  success.  Every  known  Thug  throughout  India 
was  apprehended,  and  although  the  number  was  so  great 
that  condign  punishment  could  not  be  meted  out  to  all,  the 
organization  was  broken  up.  The  least  guilty  were  formed 
into  a  sort  of  penal  colony  at  Jubbulpore,  where  they  were 
kept  employed  at  various  trades,  secluded  from  intercourse 
with  their  former  companions  and  with  the  community  gen- 
erally. It  is  hoped  that,  in  the  course  of  time,  the  traditions 
of  this  iniquity  will  so  die  out  as  to  preclude  the  possibility 
of  its  revival.  No  statistics  of  the  number  of  its  victims 
duriufic  the  ages  in  which  it  has  had  an  oro-anized  existence 
could  possibly  be  obtained,  but  the  number  must  have  been 
very  great. 

The  following  case,  which  I  find  in  the  records  of  Colonel 
Sleeman,  will  give  an  idea  of  the  course  which  these  mur- 
derers pursued,  and  of  the  remorseless  perseverance  vnih. 
which  they  followed  up  their  victims.  It  is  drawn  from 
the  confessions  of  a  Thug  who  had  been  apprehended  and 
convicted  of  the  crime. 

S 


274  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

"  A  stout  Mogul  officer,  of  noble  bearing  and  singularly 
handsome  countenance,  on  his  Avay  from  the  Punjaub  to 
Oude,  crossed  the  Ganges  at  Gurmuktesur  Ghaut,  near  Mee- 
rut,  to  pass  through  Meradabad  and  Bareilly.  He  was  mount- 
ed on  a  fine  Turkee  horse,  and  attended  by  his  Mtmutgar 
and  groom.  Soon  after  crossing  the  river  he  fell  in  with  a 
small  party  of  well-dressed  and  modest-looking  men  going 
the  same  road.  They  accosted  him  in  a  respectful  manner, 
and  attempted  to  enter  into  conversation  with  him.  He  had 
heard  of  Thugs,  and  told  them  to  be  off.  They  smiled  at 
his  idle  suspicions,  and  tried  to  remove  them,  but  all  in  vain ; 
the  Mogul  was  determined;  they  saw  his  nostrils  swelling 
with  indignation,  took  their  leave,  and  followed  slowly. 

"  The  next  morning  he  overtook  the  same  number  of  men, 
but  of  a  different  appearance,  all  Mussulmans.  They  accost- 
ed him  in  the  same  respectful  manner,  talked  of  the  dangers 
of  the  road,  and  the  necessity  of  their  keeping  together  and 
taking  the  advantage  of  the  protection  of  any  mounted  gen- 
tleman that  happened  to  be  going  the  same  way.  The  Mo- 
gul officer  said  not  a  word  in  reply,  resolved  to  have  no  com- 
panions on  the  road.  They  persisted ;  his  nostrils  began 
again  to  swell,  and,  putting  his  hand  to  his  sword,  he  bid 
them  all  be  off,  or  he  would  have  their  heads  from  their 
shoulders.  He  had  a  bow  and  quiver  full  of  arrows  over  his 
shoulder,  a  brace  of  loaded  pistols  in  his  waist-belt,  and  a 
sword  by  his  side,  and  was  altogether  a  very  formidable- 
looking  cavalier. 

"  In  the  evening  another  party  that  lodged  in  the  same  se- 
rai became  very  intimate  with  the  butler  and  groom.  They 
were  going  the  same  road,  and,  as  the  Mogul  overtook  them 
in  the  morning,  they  made  their  bows  respectfully,  and  be- 
gan to  enter  into  conversation  with  their  two  friends,  the 
groom  and  the  butler,  who  were  coming  up  behind.  The 
Mogul's  nostrils  began  again  to  swell,  and  he  bid  the  stran- 
gers be  off.  The  groom  and  butler  interceded ;  for  their 
master  was  a  grave,  sedate  man,  and  they  wanted  compan- 
ions.    All  would  not  do,  and  the  strangers  fell  in  the  rear. 

"  The  next  day,  when  thay  had  got  to  the  middle  of  an 
extensive  and  ixninhabited  plain,  the  Mogul  in  advance,  and 
his  two  servants  a  few  hundred  yards  behind,  he  came  up  to 
a  party  of  six  poor  Mussulmans  sitting  weeping  by  the  side 
of  a  dead  companion.  They  were  soldiers  from  Lahore  on 
their  way  to  Lucknow,  worn  down  by  fatigue  in  their  anxi- 
ety to  see  their  wives  and  children  once  more  after  a  long 
and  painful  service.     Their  companion,  the  hope  and  prop  of 


BENARES  TO  ALLAHABAD.  275 

his  fomily,  liad  sunk  under  the  fatigue,  and  they  had  made  a 
grave  for  him ;  but  they  were  poor  unlettered  men,  and  tena- 
ble to  repeat  the  funeral  service  from  the  holy  Koran ;  would 
his  highness  but  perform  this  last  office  for  them,  he  would, 
no  doubt,  find  his  reward  in  this  world  and  in  the  next.  The 
Mogul  dismounted.  The  body  had  been  placed  in  its  prop- 
er position,  with  the  head  toward  Mecca.  A  carpet  was 
spread ;  the  Mogul  took  off"  his  bow  and  quiver,  then  his  pis- 
tols and  sword,  and  placed  them  on  the  ground  near  the 
body  ;  called  for  water,  and  washed  his  feet,  hands,  and  face, 
that  he  might  not  pronounce  the  holy  words  in  an  unclean 
state.  He  then  knelt  down  and  began  to  repeat  the  funeral 
service  in  a  clear,  loud  voice.  Two  of  the  poor  soldiers 
knelt  by  him,  one  on  each  side,  in  silence.  The  other  four 
went  off  a  few  paces  to  beg  that  the  butler  and  groom  would 
not  come  so  near  as  to  interrupt  the  good  Samaritan  at  his 
devotions.  All  being  ready,  one  of  the  four,  in  a  low  under- 
tone, gave  the  shirnee  (the  signal),  the  handkerchiefs  were 
thrown  over  their  necks,  and  in  a  few  minutes  all  three,  the 
Mogul  and  his  servants,  were  dead,  and  lying  in  the  grave 
in  the  usual  manner — the  head  of  one  at  the  feet  of  one  be- 
low him. 

"  All  the  parties  they  had  met  on  the  road  belonged  to  a 
gang  of  Jumaldehee  Thugs,  of  the  kingdom  of  Oude.  In 
despair  of  being  able  to  win  the  Mogul's  confidence  in  the 
usual  way,  and  determined  to  have  the  money  and  jewels 
which  they  knew  he  carried  with  him,  they  had  adopted  this 
plan  of  disarming  him — dug  the  grave  by  the  side  of  the 
road  in  the  open  plain,  and  made  a  handsome  young  Mussul- 
man of  the  party  the  dead  soldier.  The  Mogul,  being  a  very 
stout  man,  died  almost  without  a  struggle,  and  his  servants 
made  no  resistance." 

It  was  past  niidniglit,  but  a  night  almost  as  bright  as 
the  day,  when  we  rolled  over  the  magnificent  bridge  that 
spans  the  Jumna  at  Allahabad,  just  above  the  miion  of  its 
waters  witli  those  of  the  Ganges.  The  bridge  is  one  of 
the  most  costly  railway  structures  in  or  out  of  India.  It 
is  built  of  iron  imported  from  England.  The  foundations 
of  the  high  stone  piers  on  which  it  rests  were  laid  in  the 
ooze  of  the  river,  which,  in  laying  the  foundations,  seemed 
to  be  almost  without  bottom.  The  rise  of  water  in  the 
rainy  season,  which  sometimes  reaches  forty  feet,  made  it 


276  AROUND  THE  WOMLD. 

necessary  to  have  elevated  piers,  and  the  bridge,  which  is 
three  qnartere  of  a  mile  in  length,  makes  a  fine  appearance 
in  the  ordinary  stages  of  the  river. 

We  were  delighted,  on  reaching  the  station  at  so  late 
an  hour  of  the  night,  to  find  the  Kev.  Mr.  Walsh  awaiting 
us.  I  had  known  him  when  a  boy,  but  long  ago  he  turned 
his  steps  eastward  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  the  land  of  the 
Hindoos  and  the  Mohammedans.  Since  the  death  of  an- 
other friend  and  classmate,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Owen,  Mr.  Walsh 
has  been  the  father  of  the  American  Mission  at  Allahabad. 
Takino;  us  in  his  p-harrv,  we  drove  mile  after  mile  through 
the  broad  streets  of  this  capital,  until  it  seemed  that  the 
streets  had  no  end ;  and  when  under  these  quiet  Eastern 
skies,  in  the  beauty  of  the  night  and  in  our  j)leasant  con- 
verse, we  almost  wished  they  were  endless.  At  length  we 
reached  the  bungalow  of  the  American  Mission,  and  found 
a  resting-place  in  an  American  home. 

Allahabad  (which  means  the  City  of  God),  a  name  given 
to  it  by  the  Mohammedan  conquerors  of  India,  is  one  of 
the  sacred  places  of  the  Hindoos.  It  has  been  a  point  of 
much  importance  in  all  the  changes  which  have  occurred 
among  the  rulers  of  Hindostan,  and  has  been  fortified  from 
time  to  time  under  different  dynasties.  The  present  for- 
tress, a  mile  and  a  half  in  circuit,  situated  at  the  junction 
of  the  Ganges  and  Jumna  Rivers,  was  built  by  Akbar,  one 
of  the  Mogul  emperors,  three  hundred  years  ago,  on  the 
site  of  an  ancient  Hindoo  fortification.  It  has  been  re- 
modeled and  strengthened  by  the  English,  and  has  been  of 
incalculable  value  to  them.  During  the  mutiny  of  1857  it 
proved  the  salvation  of  many  of  the  English  residents  at 
Allahabad,  and  contributed  greatly  to  the  final  recovery  of 
British  power  in  India.  It  has  acquired  much  importance 
within  a  few  years  by  the  removal  of  the  capital  from  Agra 
to  this  place.  A  new  city,  with  broad  avenues  and  spa- 
cious squares,  has  been  laid  out,  and  large  public  buildings, 
including  some  of  the  finest  barracks  in  India,  have  been 
in  coui*se  of  erection.     Manv  beautiful  bunfjalows  have 


BENARES  TO  ALLAHABAD. 


'211 


been  bnilt,  and  are  surrounded  by  extensive  grounds ;  and 
although,  like  our  own  Washington,  Allahabad,  for  the  pres- 
ent, "  is  a  city  of  magnificent  distances"  rather  than  an  im- 
posing capital,  it  bids  fair  to  become  one  of  the  finest  towns 
in  the  peninsula.  In  the  mutiny,  every  foreign  residence 
was  destroyed,  with  every  public  building,  excepting  the 
Masonic  Ilall,  which  the  natives  did  not  dare  to  attack  on 
account  of  the  spirits  that  were  supposed  to  guard  it.  This 
building  was  pointed  out  to  me  in  a  remote  part  of  the 
town,  a  lonely  monument  of  the  terrible  scenes  which  it 
survived. 

Allahabad  has  long  been  one  of  the  most  important  mis- 
sion stations  of  the  American  Presbyterian  Church.  It 
was  selected  not  only  on  account  of  its  large  population, 
but  as  a  centre  of  influence  for  the  whole  north  of  India, 
and  in  one  respect  it  has  a  peculiar  importance.  It  is  the 
chief  place  of  pilgrimage,  and  through  the  multitudes  that 
gather  here  every  year  an  influence  may  be  sent  out  into 
every  part  of  the  land.  Situated  at  the  confluence  of  the 
two  most  sacred  rivers  of  Ilindostan — the  Ganges  and  the 
Jumna — the  spot  is  regarded  by  all  Hindoos  as  one  of  the 
holiest  places  in  the  world.  They  come  to  it  from  all  parts 
and  at  all  times  of  the  year  to  bathe  where  the  two  rivers 
meet,  and  thus  to  wash  away  their  sins.  There  is  an  annu- 
al mela  or  gathering  at  this  place  in  the  month  of  January, 
when  hundreds  of  thousands  come  together;  and  every 
twelfth  year,  owing  to  some  propitious  conjunction  of  the 
stars,  there  is  a  special  gathering,  when  the  number  of  the 
pilgrims  is  sometimes  counted  even  by  millions. 

I  first  reached  Allahabad  in  December,  on  my  way  to 
the  north ;  but,  after  visiting  the  Himalaya  Mountains,  I 
returned  to  be  present  at  the  opening  of  the  great  mela  on 
the  12th  of  January.  It  is  held  on  a  vast  plain — a  tongue 
of  land  lying  between  the  two  rivers,  which  in  the  rainy 
season  is  completely  overfiowed.  Wlien  the  pilgrims  as- 
semble they  pitch  their  tents  upon  the  plain,  and  for  the 
space  of  a  month  it  is  the  most  populous  city  in  India.     I 


278  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

learned  afterward,  from  one  of  the  missionaries,  that  two 
milhons  were  present  at  one  time,  and  I  could  easily  com- 
prehend it  from  what  I  had  seen. 

I  took  my  stand,  one  day,  in  a  thoroughfare  leading  to 
the  grounds,  to  see  the  people  pouring  in  by  crowds,  many 
of  whom  came  from  hundreds  of  miles  up  and  down  the 
country,  I  had  seen  them  far  np  to  the  north,  the  week 
before,  coming  down  in  large  companies.  They  continued 
to  arrive  at  all  hours  of  day  and  night  for  days  and  even 
for  weeks,  like  a  continuous  procession.  Some  of  the 
wealthier  people  came  on  elephants,  others  on  camels, 
many  of  them,  especially  the  aged  and  feeble,  in  carts 
drawn  by  bullocks  or  cows,  but  most  of  them  on  foot, 
mtli  the  dust  and  dirt  of  their  long  pilgrimage  upon  them. 
In  the  vast  crowd  were  thousands  of  faquirs  or  devotees, 
who  were  almost  naked  and  covei'ed  with  dirt,  their  hair 
matted  with  filth,  more  disgusting  in  their  appearance  than 
swine,  and  accounting  themselves  all  the  more  holy  be- 
cause of  the  excessive  filth  in  which  they  had  chosen  to 
live.  Bathing  in  muddy  streams  and  living  in  abominable 
filth  seem  to  be  the  two  prominent  articles  in  the  creed  of 
the  Hindoos,  at  least  of  those  who  pretend  to  eminent  holi- 
ness— the  very  reverse  of  the  Christian  maxim  that  "  clean- 
liness is  a  part  of  godliness,"  More  abominable  or  more 
horrid  specimens  of  human  nature  than  these  faquirs  can 
scarcely  be  conceived  ;  and  the  more  painful  part  of  it 
was,  that  the  poor  ignorant  peof>le  had  been  taught  to  re- 
gard these  filthy,  depraved  brutes  in  human  shape  as  pre- 
eminently holy.  Some  of  the  devotees  had  made  their  pil- 
grimage all  the  way  upon  their  hands  and  knees,  others  by 
dragging  themselves  along  the  ground,  and  one  man,  per- 
haps more,  by  measuring  his  length  like  an  inch  worm,  ly- 
ing down,  making  a  mark  at  his  head,  and  then  lying  down 
with  his  toes  at  the  mark,  and  so  making  his  slow  progress 
toward  the  consecrated  spot.  One  man  whom  I  saw  at  the 
mela  had  held  his  right  hand  above  his  head  eleven  years, 
and  was,  of  course,  accounted  an  eminent  saint. 


BENABES  TO  ALLAHABAD.  279 

The  Brahmins  keep  up  these  festivals  for  the  sake  of 
inakiug  money  out  of  the  pilgrims.  Each  one  is  required 
to  pay  his  tax  as  he  comes  to  bathe,  and  so  a  large  revenue 
comes  to  the  coffers  of  the  Brahmins  of  the  district.  The 
faquirs,  too,  extort  money  from  the  people  on  the  ground 
of  their  sanctity,  but  a  more  transparent  set  of  knaves  1 
never  looked  upon.  They  showed  it  in  their  countenances ; 
but  long  practice  and  established  custom  had  given  them 
an  ascendency  and  power  over  the  people.  One  of  the 
first  acts  of  a  pilgrim  {the  Jriquirs  excepted)  is  to  have  his 
head  shaven  by  regularly  appointed  barbers,  under  the  as- 
surance that  for  every  hair  he  loses  he  secures  to  himself  a 
million  of  years  in  Paradise ;  a  favor  for  which  he  is  com- 
pelled to  make  a  return  in  money  according  to  his  means. 
By  this  operation  the  pockets  of  the  pilgrims  are  as  well 
fleeced  as  their  heads.  Then  comes  the  bathing ;  and  a 
sorrowful  sight  are  those  tens  of  thousands  of  poor,  sin- 
burdened  heathen,  going  down  into  the  water  and  devout- 
ly washing  themselves,  in  the  vain  hope  of  washing  away 
their  guilt.  All  classes  and  all  ages  go  down  into  the  wa- 
ter ;  even  the  women  of  the  higher  class  being  exempt,  for 
the  time,  from  the  law  of  custom  which  compels  them  to 
live  in  seclusion.  I  longed  for  the  gift  of  speaking,  not 
only  to  their  ears,  but  to  their  hearts,  of  that  fountain  for 
sin  and  for  uncleanness  which  has  been  opened  by  a  dying 
Saviour,  and  which  is  free  and  near  to  all,  without  any  pain- 
ful pilgrimage.  But  this  is  done  by  faithful  missionaries, 
who  have  their  tents  pitched  at  various  points  among  the 
crowd,  and  who  improve  this  occasion  for  imparting  relig- 
ious instruction,  and  not  without  success. 

After  the  pilgrims  have  been  shaven,  and  have  bathed 
and  performed  other  religious  services,  they  devote  them- 
selves to  social  intercourse,  to  traflSc,  and  often  to  all  man- 
ner of  wickedness,  so  that  the  mela  becomes  a  mixed 
scene,  the  religious  part  bearing  but  a  slight  proportion 
to  the  whole.  I  believe  that  the  whole  system  of  idol- 
atrv  in  India  is  now  sustained  more  bv  the  avarice  of 


280  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

Brahmins,  who  become  wealthy  from  their  perquisites  and 
by  the  incidental  gains  connected  with  it,  than  by  the  re- 
ligious feelings  of  the  people.  Priestcraft  has  a  mighty 
power  in  keeping  up  rites  which,  if  left  to  the  choice  even 
of  ignorant  people,  would  speedily  come  to  an  end.  At 
the  great  mela  at  Allahabad  I  heard  many  confess  that 
Christianity  was  better  than  their  religion,  but  they  are 
bound  by  education,  and  custom,  and  caste.  It  is  not  a 
shght  evidence,  though  only  one  of  many,  that  the  religion 
of  Christ  has  taken  hold  of  the  people  of  India,  to  see 
preaching-tents  established  by  the  Hindoos,  with  readers 
and  preachers,  who  endeavor  to  counteract  the  j)reaching 
of  the  Gospel  by  drawing  away  and  holding  the  attention 
of  the  people.  I  had  seen  the  same  thing  in  China.  In 
the  city  of  Canton  the  Chinese  have  built  a  beautiful  chap- 
el, in  all  respects  like  the  Christian,  where  they  have  regu- 
lar preaching.  Amid  the  melancholy  scenes  connected 
with  this  great  aggregation  of  heathenism  at  Allahabad, 
there  is  much  that  gives  promise  of  a  bright  day^at  hand, 
when  the  gross  darkness  that  has  so  long  cohered  the  peo- 
ple will  be  dispelled. 

The  only  witness  against  the  British  government  for  its 
complicity  with  the  idolatry  of  the  Hindoos  that  I  saw  re- 
maining in  India  was  at  Allahabad.  In  the  fort  there  is 
a  passage  leading  to  extensive  subterranean  vaults,  which 
from  time  immemorial  have  been  regarded  with  great  ven- 
eration by  the  natives.  They  pretend  that  the  passage  leads 
to  Benares,  nearly  a  hundred  miles  distant,  and  that  a  third 
sacred  river  once  coursed  through  it.  The  multitudes  who 
come  on  pilgrimage  to  Allahabad  all  enter  this  vault,  pay 
their  devotions,  and  make  some  offering,  on  which  they 
pom*  the  water  of  the  Ganges  and  the  Jumna  to  consecrate 
the  gift.  There  are  numerous  shrines,  all,  I  believe,  of  the 
Lingam,  the  obscene  object  of  Hindoo  woi"ship,  which  are 
constantly  covered  with  flowers  and  kept  wet  with  the  holy 
water.  Formerly  the  pilgrims  who  entered  were  required 
to  pay  a  tax  of  one  rupee  each  to  the  government,  which 


THE  MUTINY;  CA  WNPORE  AND  L  UCKNO  W.  281 

became  an  immense  revenue.  The  tax  has  been  abolished, 
but  I  saw  these  obscene  pagan  shrines  still  standing,  and 
the  devotees  in  crowds  presenting  their  offerings  and  pay- 
ing their  worship  before  them  with  the  British  flag  flying 
over  their  heads  on  the  fort.  It  is  a  reproach  and  a  shame 
to  a  Christian  government,  and  the  more  so  because  con- 
nected ^vith  a  fortress  whicli  belongs  exclusively  to  the 
government. 


XX. 

THE  MUTINY;  CAWNPORE  AND  LUCKNOW. 

After  I  had  been  several  weeks  in  India,  the  question 
was  asked  me,  by  one  who  naturally  enough  wished  to  know 
how  I  had  been  impressed  with  the  country  and  its  people, 
"  What,  of  all  that  you  have  seen,  has  struck  you  most  for- 
cibly V  ■  I  replied, "  The  fact  that  no  two  persons  seem  to 
entertain  the  same  ideas  with  regard  to  any  subject." 

I  was  never  in  a  country  where  there  is  such  a  diversity 
of  sentiment  in  regard  to  questions  of  public  policy,  the 
right  mode  of  dealing  with  social  problems,  or  even  in  re- 
gard to  many  matters  of  fact.  Scarcely  any  thing  appears 
to  be  settled  in  the  general  opinion  of  the  people — the  Eu- 
ropeans, I  mean.  The  very  names  of  places  and  things  are 
without  any  established  rules.  Every  writer  has  his  own 
orthography,  and  every  speaker  his  own  pronunciation  of 
native  words.  The  languages  of  the  country  have  never 
yet  found  their  equivalents  in  the  English  tongue.  I  M^as 
told  that  there  are  sixty-four  different  ways  of  spelling  the 
name  of  Lodiana,  a  town  in  the  north  of  India,  and  that 
each  one  has  good  authority  for  it.  I  have  seen  the  name 
of  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Dehra  Boon,  that  I  visited 
among  the  Himalaya  Mountains,  written  Dehrah,  Deirah, 
Deira,  Deyra,  Deijrah,Dera,Qin&  so  on  cid  lihitum. 

But  in  no  respect  was  I  more  struck  with  the  diversity 


282  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

of  sentiment  among  intelligent  and  well-informed  persons 
than  in  regard  to  the  cause  of  the  terrible  mutiny  of  1857, 
which  came  so  near  extinguishing  the  power  of  the  English 
in  the  East.  I  not  only  felt  a  strong  desire,  in  going  over 
the  ground  where  its  fearful  scenes  were  enacted,  to  learn 
more  than  I  had  known  before  of  the  causes  which  led  to 
it,  tlie  impelling  motives  which  tired  the  natives,  but  I  im- 
agined that  I  should  be  able  to  obtain  such  knowledge  by 
personal  intercourse  with  the  residents,  many  of  whom  had 
been  there  during  its  progress  and  suppression.  But  al- 
most every  intelligent  man  in  India  seemed  to  have  his 
own  theory  in  regard  to  the  matter,  and  very  few-,  on  com- 
paring notes,  would  be  found  to  agree.  It  certainly  speaks 
well  for  the  independence  of  thought  in  that  land,  but  it 
shows  also  that  this  awful  episode  in  the  history  of  the 
British  occupation  of  India  is  still  involved  in  much  mys- 
tery. And  this  is  just  about  the  truth  in  regard  to  the 
matter.  I  doubt  if  any  rebellion  of  equal  extent  and  im- 
portance ever  before  occurred  which  could  not  be  traced 
more  directly  and  more  clearly  to  its  origin. 

The  nearest  approximation  that  I  made  to  a  definite 
opinion  of  my  own,  after  careful  investigation  of  all  the 
sources  of  information,  and  all  the  opinions  current,  is,  that 
the  mutiny  was  a  sort  of  blind  movement  on  the  part  alike 
of  Mohammedans  and  Hindoos  (though  more  the  former 
than  the  latter)  to  cast  off  the  foreign  yoke  which  had  been 
placed  on  their  necks  by  a  series  of  usurpations,  too  often 
attended  with  the  very  crimes  of  which  the  natives  them- 
selves had  been  guilty  in  past  ages.  One  monarch  after 
another  had  been  dethroned  by  the  agents  of  the  East  In- 
dia Company,  and  his  territory  added  to  the  Company's 
possessions,  or  made  tributary.  It  had  become  clear  that 
the  same  power,  unless  absolutely  destroyed,  must  cover  the 
whole  land,  and  the  opportunity  was  seized,  when  the  En- 
glish military  force  was  reduced  to  its  lowest  limits,  to  rise 
and  attempt  to  annihilate  the  foreign  element.  In  the 
spring  of  1857  there  were  only   about  twenty  thousand 


THE  MUTINY;  CA  WNPORE  AND  LUCKNU  W.  283 

British  troops  in  all  India.  The  army  was  composed  al- 
most altogether  of  native  troops.  There  was  not  a  Euro- 
pean regiment  at  Calcutta,  nor  at  Benares,  nor  at  Delhi, 
nor  at  many  other  important  points.  There  must  have 
been  conference  or  conspiracy  for  some  time  previous,  for 
the  mutinous  spirit  manifested  itself  almost  simultaneously 
from  one  end  of  Ilindostan  to  the  other.  The  train  had 
been  laid,  and  the  explosion  passed  with  frightful  rapidity 
from  one  city  and  district  to  another. 

The  occasion  for  such  a  rising,  too,  was  opportune  in 
more  respects  than  one.  A  prophecy  had  long  been  in  cir- 
culation amono;  tlie  natives  that  on  the  hundredth  anniver- 
sary  of  the  battle  of  Plassey,  which  secured  the  supremacy 
of  the  English  in  India,  their  power  would  be  destroyed. 
That  battle  took  place  June  23, 1757,  and  the  eventful  day 
was  drawino-  nio-b.  The  success  of  such  a  revolt  seemed 
the  more  assured  by  the  defenseless  state  of  the  English  in 
the  country  at  the  time.  The  introduction  of  greased  car- 
trido-es  was  another  coinciding  element.  This  has  been  re- 
garded  by  some  as  the  actual  cause  of  the  mutiny,  but  it 
was  simply  a  coincidence,  and  was  made  use  of  as  an  incite- 
ment to  revolt.  Artfully  was  it  seized  upon,  and  success- 
fully was  it  employed.  To  make  use  of  the  new  cartridges 
according  to  regulation,  the  soldiers  must  bite  off  the  end 
before  inserting  them  in  the  musket.  The  report  was  cir- 
culated through  the  whole  army  that  they  had  been  greased 
with  a  composition  of  tallow  and  lard- — the  former  an  abom- 
ination to  the  Hindoo,  and  the  latter  to  the  Mohammedan. 
The  Hindoo  would  as  soon  draw  a  razor  across  his  throat 
as  put  a  particle  of  the  fat  of  the  cow  to  his  lips,  and  a  Mo- 
hammedan would  perish  before  he  would  have  any  thing  to 
do  with  the  fat  of  the  swine.  The  report  was  circulated 
that  by  this  means  the  English  intended  to  compel  both 
classes  to  abjure  their  religion,  and  it  was  effectively  used 
as  one  of  the  instruments  by  which  the  troops,  Hindoos  and 
Mohammedans,  were  stirred  up  to  revolt. 

It  is  a  very  remarkable  fact  that  no  satisfactory  evidence 


284  AR0U2W  THE  WORLD. 

lias  ever  been  found  that  the  rebellion  had  any  real  head  or 
leader,  or  that  it  Avas  designed  to  re-establish  any  one  of  the 
old  dynasties,  or  to  found  a  new  one.  Conspiracy  there 
must  have  been,  but  there  were  no  arch-conspirators,  and 
there  was  no  well-executed  plan  of  action.  Some  have  im- 
plicated the  effete  family  of  the  old  King  of  Dellii ;  some 
Iiave  regarded  the  ex-King  of  Oude,  a  sort  of  state  prisoner 
at  Calcutta,  as  being  its  moving  spirit ;  some  have  given 
the  same  position  to  the  monster  Xana  Sahib  ;  but  I  do  not 
think  there  is  any  proof  that  any  one  of  these,  or  others 
who  have  been  named,  played  any  such  ambitious  part  in 
the  terrible  drama.  The  mutiny  was  more  Mohammedan 
than  Hindoo  in  its  origin  and  in  progress ;  but  this,  perhaps, 
was  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  Mohammedans  had  been  so 
long  the  ruling  race. 

Equally  mysterious  with  its  origin  were  the  means  used 
in  preparing  for  a  concerted  movement  throughout  India. 
At  the  commencement  of  the  year  1857  it  was  noticed  that 
a  peculiar  kind  of  small  cakes  of  unleavened  bread,  called 
chupatties,  were  distributed  through  the  whole  country.  A 
messenger  appeared  at  a  village  with  these  cakes,  he  sought 
out  the  head  man  of  the  place  and  gave  him  six,  with  the 
charge  that  he  was  to  send  six  more  to  the  next  villao;e, 
and  so  they  passed  from  one  end  of  the  land  to  the  other, 
and  exerted  a  talismanic  power  which  has  never  been  ex- 
plained. Just  about  the  same  time  lotus  flowers  were  sent 
to  the  native  soldiers  at  the  various  cantonments,  and  they, 
too,  passed  from  hand  to  hand  with  the  same  effect.  Strange 
to  say,  tlie  peculiar  significance  of  these  tokens  has  never 
transpired,  so  profoundly  have  the  secrets  of  the  mutiny 
been  preserved.  The  history  of  the  world  will  scarcely 
furnish  a  parallel  to  the  anomalies  and  mysteries  connected 
with  this  whole  matter. 

The  first  serious  signs  of  disaffection  appeared  at  Dun- 
dum,  near  Calcutta,  in  January,  1857.  The  Sepoys  object- 
ed to  the  greased  cartridges,  but  they  professed  to  be  satis- 
fied when  they  were  excused  from  using  them.     The  same 


THE  MUTINY;  CAWNPOEE  AND  LUCKNOW.  285 

disaffection  showed  itself,  and  from  the  same  ostensible 
cause,  soon  after  at  Barrackpore,  opposite  Serampore,  on 
the  Hoogly,  where  incendiary  lires  also  occurred.  A  gen- 
eral order  for  the  whole  army  was  then  issued  allowing  the 
soldiers  to  tear  off  the  end  of  the  cartridge  instead  of  biting 
it,  but  it  had  no  good  effect.  All  this  time  the  English  au- 
thorities slept,  as  it  were,  in  profound  security,  ignorant  of 
the  storm  that  was  so  soon  to  burst  upon  them.  Other  and 
more  serious  disturbances  took  place,  but  without  awaken- 
ing apprehension.  It  was  not  until  April  that  the  country 
was  roused.  Scenes  of  insubordination  and  violence  oc- 
curred at  Meerut,  far  to  the  north,  extended  to  Delhi,  and 
spread  with  fearful  rapidity  until  the  whole  army  was  in 
revolt.  Forts  and  towns  were  seized  by  the  rebels,  the  En- 
glish officers  and  residents  slaughtered  without  mercy,  or 
subjected  to  the  most  horrible  outrages  that  fiends  could  in- 
flict. The  magazine  in  the  great  fort  at  Delhi,  which  con- 
tained a  vast  amount  of  stores  of  all  kinds,  guns,  and  am- 
munition, was  defended  by  a  small  force  of  English  against 
a  horde  of  rebels  until  the  unequal  contest  could  no  longer 
be  maintained,  when,  instead  of  surrendering  to  the  enemy, 
the  feeble  garrison  applied  the  torch  to  the  train,  and  thou- 
sands of  the  assailants  perished  with  the  besieged  in  the 
explosion.  Straggling  Europeans  escaped  destruction  at 
Delhi  and  other  places  to  wander  for  months  in  the  jungle, 
some  to  be  preserved  almost  by  miracle  from  all  horrible 
forms  of  death.  Incidents  of  this  character  occurred  which 
are  too  harrowing  to  be  repeated. 

At  Allahabad,  a  native  regiment  stationed  in  the  town 
suddenly  revolted ;  shot  down  the  superior  officers  and  bay- 
oneted the  younger ;  attacked  the  residents,  men,  women, 
and  children,  cutting  them  in  pieces  while  alive ;  children 
were  tossed  on  the  bayonets  of  the  native  soldiers  before 
the  eyes  of  their  mothers,  and  atrocities  committed  which 
the  pen  can  not  record.  The  remnant  of  English  who  es- 
caped took  refuge  in  the  fort,  which  was  besieged  by  the 
Sepoys.     A  ti-ain  of  powder  was  laid,  and  the  besieged 


286  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

were  prepared  to  blow  tliemselves  up  and  perish  in  the  ex- 
plosion, as  at  Delhi,  the  moment  the  fort  should  be  taken. 
But  English  troops  arrived  from  below,  and  they  were  pre- 
served. All  through  the  mutiny  the  fort  was  a  rallyintr. 
point  for  the  English. 

From  Delhi,  and  from  other  cities  where  the  English 
families  were  congregated,  women  and  children  made  their 
escape  from  the  general  massacre— sometimes  in  small  com- 
panies, but  generally  alone— and  wandered  for  days  ex- 
posed to  the  intense  heat  of  the  summer  sun,  when  they 
could  scarcely  exist  in  the  shade,  and  at  night  lay  down  in 
the  jungle  without  shelter,  and  at  last  perished  from  hun- 
ger, fatigue,  terror,  the  stroke  of  the  sun,  or  the  wild  beasts. 
At  Agra,  the  foreign  population,  with  few  exceptions,  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the  fort,  where  they  had  time  to  shut 
themselves  in  before  the  bursting  of  the  storm ;  and  here 
they  endured  a  voluntary  but  fearful  imprisonment  more 
than  four  months,  not  knowing  any  thing  of  the  fate  of 
their  friends  or  what  might  be  going  on  in  other  parts  of 
India.  I  met  at  Delhi  a  lady  who  passed  through  this  long 
siege,  enduring  the  agony  of  suspense  in  the  fear  that  all 
the  rest  of  India  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Sepoys. 

But  the  chief  horrors  of  the  mutiny  centred  at  Cawn- 
pore,  and  were  perpetrated  under  the  orders  of  the  mon- 
ster Nana  Sahib.  This  station  was  occupied  by  Sir  Hugh 
Wheeler  w^itli  a  small  body  of  English  troops,  who  had  un- 
der their  protection  several  hundred  women  and  children 
belonging  to  the  families  resident  in  the  city  and  the  neigh- 
borhood. Having  no  fortress,  they  hastily  intrenched  them- 
selves by  throwing  up  earth-works  on  the  open  plain.  The 
space  they  occupied  was  about  two  hundred  yards  square, 
and  included  a  few  small  buildings.  There  were  nine 
hundred  persons  in  all  within  this  narrow  space.  A  mur- 
derous fire  was  opened  upon  them  by  the  Sepoys,  which, 
with  famine,  the  burning  sun  of  June,  the  close  confine- 
ment, and  other  causes,  told  fearfully  upon  their  numbers 
from  day  to  day.     Many  died,  and  some  went  raving  mad. 


THE  MUTINY;  CAWNPORE  AND  LUCENOW.  287 

At  length  the  enemy  began  to  pour  upon  them  red-hot  shot, 
which  tired  the  buildings,  the  sick  perishing  in  the  flames. 
The  soldiers  would  have  cut  their  way  through  the  multi- 
tude of  Sepoy  soldiers,  even  at  the  risk  of  all  perishing  in 
the  attempt,  but  for  the  hundreds  of  women  and  children 
who  were  under  their  protection. 

While  in  this  extremity,  they  received  an  offer  from  the 
rebel  leader,  Nana  Sahib,  that  if  they  would  abandon  the 
intrenchments  and  the  treasure  which  they  had  been  guard- 
ing, the  survivors  should  be  furnished  with  boats  and  an 
escort  to  take  them  down  the  Ganges  to  Allahabad.  It 
was  not  until  Nana  Sahib  had  signed  the  contract  and  con- 
firmed his  promise  with  a  solemn  oath  that  the  offer  was 
accepted.  Conveyances  were  provided  for  taking  the  wound- 
ed, the  sick,  and  the  feeble  to  the  river,  about  a  mile  dis- 
tant. They  were  in  the  act  of  embarking,  when,  by  the  or- 
der of  Nana  Sahib,  a  battery  opened  upon  them  and  num- 
bers were  slain.  A  few  boat-loads  hastily  rowed  across  the 
river,  but  they  were  seized  by  the  Sepoys,  the  men  all  sa- 
bred, and  the  women  and  children  carried  back  to  the  camp 
of  the  monster  who  had  thus  violated  his  pledge.  For 
weeks  they  were  incarcerated  in  a  building  at  Cawnpore, 
where  they  were  subjected  to  the  brutality  of  the  Sepoy 
troops.  A  rumor  having  reached  the  rebels  that  a  military 
force  was  on  the  march  from  Allahabad  to  rescue  the  cap- 
tives, an  order  was  given  that  they  should  be  slain — not  an 
unwelcome  order  to  those  who  were  suffering  a  thousand 
deaths.  At  sunset  on  the  15th  of  July,  volleys  of  musketry 
were  fired  into  the  doors  and  windows  of  the  buildincr,  after 
which  the  bayonet  and  the  sword  did  their  work,  until  all 
were  supposed  to  be  dead,  and  the  building  was  closed  for 
the  night.  The  next  morning  it  w^as  found  that  a  number 
were  still  alive,  who,  upon  being  brought  out,  either  threw 
themselves  or  were  thrown  into  a  large  well  in  the  com- 
pound, with  the  dead  of  the  night  before.  Thus  perished 
all  who  had  survived  the  slaughter  of  the  ghaut,  nearly  two 
hundred  in  all.     The  whole  number  of  victims  at  Cawn- 


288  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

pore  was  about  one  thousand.  The  army,  under  Havelock, 
entered  Cawnpore  the  day  after  the  massacre,  driving  out 
the  rebels  before  them ;  and  when  they  reached  the  build- 
ing which  was  the  scene  of  the  massacre,  found  it  strewed 
with  the  relics  of  the  departed  ones — remnants  of  clothing, 
ladies'  and  children's  shoes,  locks  of  hair,  and  other  memen- 
toes— and  the  floor  covered  deep  with  their  blood.  The 
brave  soldiers  were  almost  maddened  by  the  sight. 

On  the  plain  at  Cawnpore  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
parks  in  the  East,  laid  out  in  exquisite  taste,  and  planted 
with  trees,  and  shrubbery,  and  ever-blooming  flowers.  In 
the  midst  of  this  park  rise  the  marble  walls  of  a  sacred  in- 
closure,  in  the  centre  of  which,  over  the  fatal  well,  stands  a 
marble  statue — an  angel  having  in  his  arms  the  palm- 
leaves,  emblematical  of  martyrdom  and  victory.  This  park 
was  laid  out  and  planted  after  the  mutiny,  and  called  the 
Memorial  Garden ;  but  it  seemed  designed  as  much  to  mit- 
igate with  its  beauty,  as  to  preserve  by  its  monuments,  the 
memories  of  the  spot.  The  pedestal,  on  which  stands  the 
angel,  bears  the  following  inscription : 

"  SACKED  TO  THE  PEEPETUAL  IklEMORY  OF  A  GEE  AT  COM- 
PANY OF  CHRISTIAN  PEOPLE — CHIEFLY  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN 
— WHO,  NEAR  THIS  SPOT,  WERE  CRUELLY  MASSACRED  BY  THE 
FOLLOWERS  OF  THE  REBEL  NANA  DHOONDOPUNT  OF  BITHOOR, 
AND  CAST,  THE  DYING  WITH  THE  DEAD,  INTO  THE  WELL  BE- 
LOW, ON    THE  15tH  day   OF  JULY,  1857." 

While  General  "Wheeler  and  his  command,  with  his  pre- 
cious charge,  were  still  in  their  frail  intrenchment,  the  mu- 
tiny broke  out  at  Futteghur,  higher  up  the  Ganges.  This 
has  long  been  one  of  the  chief  stations  of  the  American 
Presbyterian  missions  to  India.  All  the  Mission  buildings, 
including  a  valuable  printing-offlce,  were  destroyed.  The 
foreign  residents  were  put  to  the  sword,  the  English  ofiicers 
and  civilians  being  the  first  to  sufi^er.  The  survivors,  in- 
cluding four  American  missionary  families,  attempted  to 
escape  in  boats,  hoping  to  reach  Allahabad.  The  Ameri- 
cans were  Rev.  Messrs.  Freeman,  Campbell,  Johnson,  and 


THEMUTiyY;    CAWXPORE  AXD  LUCKXOW.  289 

McMulleii,  with  their  wives,  and  two  children  of  Mr.  Camp- 
bell. Mr.  Freeman  had  been  my  classmate  and  intimate 
friend  at  Princeton  Seminary. 

The  large  party,  one  hnndred  and  thirty  in  all,  floated 
down  the  Ganges,  all  the  while  in  terror  of  the  natives. 
Twice  they  were  fired  on  by  tlie  Sepoys,  and  a  lady,  nurse, 
and  cliild  were  killed.  Once,  as  they  landed  at  evening  to 
cook  some  food  on  the  shore,  they  were  surprised  by  a 
zemindar,  who  made  them  his  prisoners ;  but  they  were  re- 
leased on  the  payment  of  a  large  ransom.  On  the  fourth 
day  the  boats  ran  agi'ound  near  an  island  a  few  miles  above 
Cawnpore.  The  whole  party  went  ashore  and  concealed 
themselves  in  the  long  grass,  where  they  remained  in  con- 
stant apprehension  of  discovery,  and  with  little  hope  of  es- 
cape. In  this  hiding-place  they  assembled  for  prayer  and 
preparation  for  death,  the  missionaries  leading  them  to  the 
throne  of  God's  mercy  to  seek  grace  for  the  hour  of  greater 
trial  tliat  awaited  them,  and  exhorting  every  one  to  stead- 
fast trust  in  Him  who  would  bring  salvation  even  in  death. 
The  record  of  those  solemn  scenes  was  derived  from  four 
native  Christians,  who  were  the  only  sur^'ivors.  Xear  the 
close  of  the  fourth  day  the}'  were  discovered  by  a  body  of 
Sepoys,  who  came  upon  the  island,  made  them  prisoner, 
and,  deaf  to  all  aj^peals  for  mercy  and  offers  of  ransom,  took 
them  across  the  river  on  the  way  to  Cawnpore.  Though 
exliausted  with  long  fasting  and  anxiety,  they  were  tied  to- 
gether with  ropes,  and  men,  women,  and  children  compelled 
to  take  up  the  line  of  march  on  foot.  ISTight  overtaking 
them,  it  was  spent  on  the  plain  in  the  open  air,  the  Sepoys 
keeping  guard  over  them  to  prevent  their  escape.  Early 
the  next  morning  they  were  taken  into  Cawnpore  to  Xana 
Sahib,  who  ordered  them  to  be  drawn  up  in  line  on  the 
parade-ground,  where  they  were  indiscriminately  shot  down. 
Those  who  Survived  the  volley  of  musketry  were  dispatched 
with  the  sabre.  When  they  were  first  seized  by  the  Sepoys, 
the  missionaries  dismissed  the  four  native  Christians,  ad- 
vising them  to  seek  their  own  safety,  but  in  no  circum- 

T 


290  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

stances  to  deny  their  Lord  and  Master.  One  of  them,  a 
man  who  had  been  a  servant  to  the  Maharajah  Dhuleep 
Singh,  disguised  himself,  followed  the  captive  party,  and 
was  a  witness  to  the  last  fearful  scene  in  which  their  lives 
were  offered  up.  From  him  the  knowledge  of  their  fate 
was  obtained. 

The  remarkable  fact  tliat  from  the  breakins;  out  of  the 
mutiny  to  its  close  not  a  single  Christian  convert  took  any 
part  in  the  fearful  outbreak,  is  the  most  emphatic  condem- 
nation of  the  blind  and  fatal  policy  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany in  discom-aging  the  propagation  of  Christianity  among 
its  dependent  population  in  India,  and  especially  in  the 
army.  The  chaplains  of  the  army,  Christian  ministers, 
were  strictly  forbidden  to  interfere  in  any  manner  with  the 
religion  of  the  native  troops.  This  tenderness  was  repaid 
by  the  revolt  of  those  who  had  been  dealt  with  in  such 
mistaken  policy.  The  whole  conduct  of  the  native  troops 
during  the  rebellion  was  strikingly  characteristic  of  Ori- 
ental and  Indian  character.  The  most  of  them  joined  in 
the  mutiny  at  the  very  commencement,  many  of  them  ex- 
hibiting the  ferocity  of  wild  beasts.  Some  hesitated  for 
months,  and  at  length  joined  the  mutineers.  Some  regi- 
ments remained  loyal  to  the  English  during  the  rebellion, 
resisting  all  inducements  to  engage  in  the  revolt,  even  when 
it  promised  to  be  successful,  and  at  the  very  last  mutinied 
when  it  was  evident  that  it  must  be  suppressed.  Some, 
though  comparatively  few,  remained  faithful  to  the  end. 
So  made  up  of  contradictions  and  mysteries  is  the  native 
character. 

What  became  of  the  monster  Nana  Sahib  is  one  of  the 
mysteries  of  the  rebellion.  Whether  he  perished  in  the 
suppression  of  the  mutiny,  or  escaped  to  die  in  exile,  no 
one  knows  to  this  day. 

It  was  evening  when  we  reached  Cawnpore.  By  twilight 
we  drove  across  the  parade-ground  where  so  many  bra^'e 
and  tender  hearts  had  ceased  to  beat.  It  was  late  before 
we  were  all  arranged  for  the  night  at  Xoor  Mahomed's 


THE  MUTINY;  CAWNPOEE  AXD  LUCENOW.  291 

hotel  in  a  distant  part  of  the  town ;  but  the  moon  came 
out  to  look  upon  the  scene  once  so  fearful,  now  so  placid, 
and  I  could  not  resist  the  impulse,  even  at  that  weird  hour, 
to  visit  the  places  so  full  of  interest  to  all  who  have  read 
the  story  of  the  Sepoy  rebellion.  I  wandered  down  to  the 
Ganges,  to  the  Suttee  Chorora  Ghaut.,  where  General 
Wheeler's  force  was  treacherously  slain.  It  was  a  lonely 
spot,  and  the  stillness  of  the  grave  reigned  over  it,  broken 
only  by  the  ripple  of  the  flowing  river,  the  cry  of  the  night- 
birds,  and  an  occasional  howl  of  a  jackal.  In  that  quiet 
hour,  witli  the  personal  and  the  historic  recollections  which 
came  thronging  upon  the  heart,  the  interest  of  all  India 
seemed  to  centre  in  Cawnpore. 

The  next  morning,  after  spending  an  hour  in  the  Memo- 
rial Garden,  we  took  leave  of  Cawnpore  and  went  on  to 
Lucknow,  the  scene  of  the  memorable  siege. 

Luclvuow  is  about  forty  miles  to  tlie  northeast  of  Cawn- 
pore, with  which,  and  with  the  East  Indian  Railway,  it  is 
connected  by  a  branch  road.  The  Cawnpore  Station  is  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  Ganges,  whicli  we  crossed  by  one 
of  the  usual  bridges  of  boats,  which  are  much  better  adapt- 
ed to  these  swift-flowing  and  rapidly-rising  streams  than 
one  might  suppose.  As  we  crossed  the  bridge  early  in  the 
morning,  I  looked  up  the  stream  for  the  island  on  which 
one  of  the  large  companies  that  had  been  massacred  by  the 
orders  of  Nana  Sahib  had  been  seized  on  their  flio-ht  down 
the  river  from  Futteghur,  after  lying  concealed  for  three 
days  in  the  grass.  The  same  river  on  which  they  iiad  float- 
ed still  flowed  on  in  its  course ;  the  same  landmarks  were 
scattered  along  its  shores,  but  tlie  fearful  scenes  which  they 
had  witnessed  were  among  the  things  of  the  past. 

It  was  near  noon  when  the  domes  and  minarets  of  Luck- 
now  rose  into  view,  and  grand  was  the  sight.  Few  of  the 
cities  of  India  could  compare  in  outward  splendor  with 
the  capital  of  Oude  as  it  was  before  the  mutin}^,  or  even 
as  it  now  stands.  It  lays  claim  to  great  antiquity,  dating 
far  back  in  tlie  shadowy  periods  of  Hindoo  history ;  but 
the  present  city  has  all  been  built  within  the  last  century. 


292  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

The  King  of  Oude,  whose  possessions  were  the  last  to  be 
seized  by  the  East  India  Company,  reigned  here  in  great 
splendor.  He  had  just  completed  the  Ivaiser  Bagh  —  the 
extensive  palace  which  forms  the  most  striking  feature  in 
the  view  of  the  city,  having  expended  in  its  construction 
and  embellishment  eighty  lacs  of  rupees  (about  four  mill- 
ions of  dollars)  —  when  the  British  authorities  informed 
him  that  they  required  his  extensive  and  rich  dominions, 
and  that  he  must  lay  down  his  sceptre  and  his  crown. 
Lord  Dalhousie,  who  was  then  governor  general,  proposed 
to  settle  on  him  a  large  pension ;  but  the  king,  very  natu- 
rally, was  reluctant  to  resign  his  authority  and  his  reve- 
nues, and  steadfastly  refused  to  put  his  hand  to  any  deed 
of  conveyance.  When  compelled  to  retire,  he  sent  his 
queen  to  England  to  plead  his  cause  before  another  queen, 
Victoria ;  but  before  she  returned  the  mutiny  of  1857 
broke  out,  and  his  fate  was  sealed.  He  now  resides,  a  sort 
of  prisoner,  on  his  own  purchased  estate,  two  or  three  miles 
below  Calcutta,  on  the  Hoogiy.  By  many  this  seizure  of 
the  territory  of  Oude  and  the  sale  of  the  personal  property 
of  the  king  is  regarded  as  the  immediate  cause  of  the  re- 
bellion. 

There  is  more  of  show  in  the  city  of  Lucknow  than  of 
solid  grandeur,  such  as  we  see  at  Benares,  or  of  the  exqui- 
site taste  and  almost  inconceivable  costliness  that  we  find 
at  Agra  and  the  old  Mogul  capital  at  Delhi ;  but  with  its 
domes,  and  minarets,  and  imposing  structures,  it  is  a  real- 
ization of  all  one's  dreams  of  Eastern  mao^nificence.  The 
palace,  gorgeous  in  its  style  of  architecture,  and  colored  to 
resemble  a  vast  structure  of  gold,  with  its  lofty  dome  of 
real  gold, looms  up  before  the  eye;  \hQ  JJoseinabad Imaum- 
hara,  built  by  Ali  Shah,  and  elaborately  ornamented ;  the 
Jumma  3fusjid,  the  Grand  Mosque  ;  the  magnificent  mar- 
ble tombs  of  former  kings,  more  beautiful  than  the  pal- 
aces ;  the  Great  Imaiimhara,  the  architects  of  which  were 
commanded  to  produce  a  building  which  should  be  unlike 
any  others  ever  built  (in  whicli  they  succeeded),  and  which 


THE  MUTINY;  CAWNPOBE  AND  LUCENOW.  293 

should  surpass  them  all  in  beauty  and  niagniiiceuce  (in 
which  they  failed) ;  the  DiWwosha  palace,  where  the  he- 
roic soldier,  Sir  Henry  Havelock,  breathed  his  last;  the 
Martiniere,  from  the  dome  of  which  the  mountains  of  Ca- 
bool  are  seen,  though  a  hundred  miles  distant — these,  and 
many  other  striking  buildings,  set  like  gems  in  the  midst 
of  Oriental  foliage,  give  a  grandeur  to  the  \dews  of  the 
city  Avliich  can  not  be  transferred  to  the  written  "page.  A 
drive  through  Lucknow  and  its  suburbs  is  one  of  rare  beau- 
ty and  of  indescribable  interest. 

Notwithstanding  all  this  Eastern  splendor,  I  felt  won- 
derfully like  entering  a  familiar  city  when  entering  Luck- 
now.  Years  before  I  had  become  familiar  with  its  appear- 
ance and  localities  in  reading  the  history  of  the  memora- 
ble siege,  in  which  the  garrison  of  British  soldiers,  protect- 
ing hundreds  of  women  and  children,  w^ere  surrounded  by 
50,000  Sepoys,  and  subjected  to  a  murderous  fire  day  and 
night,  without  any  communication  with  the  outer  world 
for  113  days.  I  had  followed  the  noble  Havelock  and  his 
brave  troops  in  their  long  march  under  the  burning  sun  of 
India,  and  as  they  cut  their  way  through  the  multitudi- 
nous Sepoys  into  the  Eesidency,  only  to  find  that  their  force 
was  still  too  feeble  to  compel  the  enemy  to  raise  the  siege. 
I  had  read  with  the  same  intense  interest  the  story  of  the 
final  relief  of  the  besieged,  by  Sir  Colin  Campbell,  w^ith  his 
Highland  brigade ;  of  their  going  forth  by  night,  leaving 
the  city  in  the  hands  of  the  rebels ;  and  of  its  final  capture 
the  following  year  by  the  most  heroic  fighting  recorded  in 
the  annals  of  war.  All  these  scenes  were  so  familiar  that 
I  did  not  feel  like  being  in  a  strange  city. 

After  finding  quarters  at  the  Imperial  Hotel  (it  bore 
about  the  same  relation  to  a  genuine  republican  hotel  that 
a  marble  tomb,  with  its  one  lonely  couch,  does  to  a  cheer- 
ful home),  our  first  visit  was  to  the  Eesidency,  the  scene  of 
the  siege.  It  was  the  former  residence  or  palace  of  the 
British  commissioner,  and  occupied  a  slight  elevation,  an 
area  of  a  few  acres,  within  the  city.     At  the  breaking  out 


^94  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 

of  the  mutiny,  the  Muchee  Bhoioan  fort,  being  found  un- 
tenable, was  blown  np,  and  the  garrison  retired  to  the  Res- 
idency, where  they  threw  up  earth- works,  and  endured  the 
long  siege. 

By  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Fayrer,  of  Calcutta,  former  sur- 
geon at  the  Residency,  I  had  been  furnished  ^A\\\  diagrams 
and  notes  made  during  the  siege,  which  greatly  aided  me 
in  reviewing  its  memorable  history.  The  original  garri- 
son, as  it  left  the  fort,  numbered  about  1700  men,  of  whom 
nearly  half  were  native  troops.  At  the  rehef  there  were 
left,  including  sick  and  wounded,  only  350  Europeans  and 
133  natives.  Several  hundred  women  and  children  spent 
the  five  months  of  the  siege  chiefly  in  the  cellars  of  the 
buildings,  where  they  awaited  their  rescue  in  anxious  and 
protracted  suspense. 

It  was  a  mystery  I  could  not  solve,  excepting  in  the  re- 
flection that  the  Almighty  had  thrown  a  shield  over  this 
company  of  imperiled  souls,  that  for  so  many  months  they 
not  only  could  endure  the  privations,  and  suspense,  and 
anxiety,  and  heat,  in  such  quarters,  but  still  more  that  they 
could  survive  the  storm  of  iron  hail  which  day  and  night 
was  poured  upon  them  by  tens  of  thousands  of  infuriated 
native  troops.  Their  numbers  were  greatly  reduced  by 
death,  but  the  preservation  and  final  escape  of  any  seemed 
the  next  thing  to  a  miracle.  At  any  hour  within  the  many 
months  of  the  siege,  the  enemy,  by  mere  force  of  numbers, 
might  have  carried  the  wdiole  place  by  storm,  and  put  the 
entire  garrison,  with  the  women  and  children,  to  the  sword. 
But  they  had  no  leader  of  sufiicient  courage,  and  the  hand 
of  God  held  back  the  mutineers. 

With  melancholy  interest  I  went  into  the  Dilkhoosha 
Palace,  where  General  Havelock,  after  escaping  uninjured 
the  perils  of  war,  sank  under  an  attack  of  dysentery,  and 
died  while  the  British  forces  were  making  their  success- 
ful escape  from  the  city.  I  visited  also  the  summer  pal- 
ace of  the  king.  Alum  Bagh,  two  or  three  miles  out  of 
town,  to  which  the  body  of  Havelock  was   carried,  and 


THE  MUTINY;  CAWXPOBE  AND  LUCKNOW.  295 

where  a  force  was  left  to  hold  the  place  until  the  recap- 
tui'e  of  the  city  the  following  year.  The  tomb  of  the  hero 
stands  in  the  centre  of  the  garden,  and  bears  a  long  and 
very  inappropriate  inscription. 

The  inscription  on  the  stone  that  marks  the  grave  of  Sir 
Henry  Lawrence,  in  the  cemetery  of  the  Residency,  seem- 
ed equally  infelicitous  :  "  Here  lies  Henry  Lawrence,  who 
tried  to  do  his  duty.  May  God  have  mercy  on  his  soul." 
The  explanation  should  be  made  thg,t  these  were  words 
which  this  excellent  man  uttered  as  he  was  sinking  into 
the  arms  of  death.  Like  Havelock,  he  w^as  a  man  of  de- 
cided Christian  character.  After  being  struck  by  the  fa- 
tal shell,  as  he  was  lying  in  the  open  veranda  of  Dr.  Fay- 
rer's  house,  to  which  he  w^as  carried,  and  while  exposed  to 
the  constant  fire  of  the  enemy,  he  asked  to  have  the  holy 
communion  administered  to  him,  many  of  the  officers  join- 
ing in  the  service.  He  expressed  his  firm  trust  in  the 
atonement  of  Christ  for  the  pardon  of  his  sins,  and  his 
hope  of  heaven  through  the  merits  of  the  Savior.  He 
spoke  in  words  of  deepest  tenderness,  and  with  bitter  tears, 
of  his  absent  wife  and  daughter,  whom  he  should  not  see 
again  on  earth.  Lie  then  earnestly  entreated  all  around 
him  to  prepare  for  the  realities  of  another  world,  remind- 
ing them  of  the  vanity  of  all  earthly  distinctions,  and,  re- 
ferring to  his  own  honors,  asked,  "  What  is  it  all  worth 
now  ?"  and  died. 

It  is  an  ungracious  task  to  spoil  a  romantic  story,  but 
the  thrilling  incident  connected  with  the  siege  of  Luck- 
now,  read  the  world  over  with  such  intense  interest  —  the 
hearing  of  the  pibroch  of  the  Highlanders  under  Sir  Colin 
Campbell  by  a  Highland  girl  long  before  any  sound  or 
tidings  of  the  approaching  army  reached  any  other  ear,  re- 
lated as  an  instance  of  the  Highland  second-sight  or  hear- 
ing— was  a  pure  fiction. 

Two  or  three  weeks  after  I  was  at  Lucknow,  and  while 
I  was  still  in  the  country,  I  received  by  post  a  copy  of  a 
newspaper  in  Persian,  printed  at  Lucknow,  which  contain- 


296  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

ed  the  following  notice  of  our  visit  at  that  place.  I  have 
the  original  now  before  me,  but  I  give  a  translation  made 
by  a  Hindoo  friend  who  had  not  jet  attained  to  a  vei'y  ac- 
cm-ate  use  of  the  English  language : 

"  VOYAGE  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 

"Dr.  rrinie,  with  few  of  his  friends,  left  New  York  in  August,  18G9,  and, 
after  visiting  few  phices  in  America,  came  to  Pacific ;  from  thence  on  a 
steamer  to  Japan  and  China,  and,  after  seeing  some  famous  cities,  he  left  for 
Calcutta,  and  reached  in  December.  From  there  he  came  up  country  to 
Lucknow  via  AUahabad.  He  has  now  left  for  Agra  and  Delhi,  and  after- 
wards he  intends  to  visit  Egj^it,  Constantinople,  and  Turkey,  and  then  direct 
to  his  native  land.     We  think  that  this  will  take  about  fourteen  months. 

"What  a  nice  thing  is  this,  that  people  can  journey  throughout  the  world 
with  great  ease  and  comfort.  And  from  this  we  find  a  strong  proof  that. the 
earth  is  round." 


XXI. 

AGRA  AND  THE  TAJ. 


From  Lucknow  we  returned  to  CawTipore,  and  took  the 
cars  of  the  East  India  Railway  for  Agra.  At  Toondla 
Junction,  where  we  were  to  make  a  change,  we  had  the 
only  rain  that  fell  while  w^e  w^ere  in  India,  and  this  was  out 
of  season.  We  reached  Toondla  after  midnight,  and,  while 
waiting  for  the  train,  the  heavens  grew  black,  and  shot  f  ortli 
shafts  and  sheets  of  lightning,  accompanied  with  heavy 
thunder.     It  rained  heavily  until  morning. 

On  reaching  Agra  we  made  our  w\ay  to  Beaumont's 
East  Indian  Hotel,  pleasantly  located  in  the  midst  of  a 
charming  compound  outside  of  the  native  town,  and  we 
flattered  ourselves  that  we  had  reached  a  delightful  retreat, 
in  which  we  could  spend  a  few  da3^s  luxuriously  in  this  old 
capital  of  the  Timoui's.  But,  alas ! — We  had  a  bungalow 
all  to  ourselves,  but  the  bungalow  was  nearly  all  that  we 
had.  Our  sleeping-rooms  were  without  furniture  except- 
ing a  bedstead  and  mattress.     We  found  that  we  were  ex- 


AGBA  AND  THE  TAJ.  297 

pected  to  furnish  the  bedding  ourselves.  In  India  Euro- 
peans have  been  in  the  habit  of  traveling  with  tents,  taking 
with  them  all  the  comforts  and  necessaries  of  life. 

When  I  first  reached  Calcutta  I  wrote  to  an  old  friend  in 
the  extreme  north,  informing  him  of  my  arrival,  and  asking 
him  to  secure  accommodations  for  our  party  at  a  hotel  or 
government  bungalow  in  the  city  in  which  he  was  residing. 
I  received  in  reply  a  hearty  welcome  to  the  country,  with 
the  assurance  that,  as  there  was  no  hotel  in  the  place,  he 
would  arrange  for  the  accommodation  of  the  entire  party 
at  private  houses  provided  we  brought  our  own  beds  and 
bedding  with  us.  AVhen  we  reached  Agra  we  had  not  laid 
in  a  supply  of  linen,  and  inquisition  was  at  once  made  at 
the  principal  hotel  in  the  city,  but,  after  the  most  diligent 
search,  only  four  sheets  could  be  mustered  for  seven  persons, 
not  all  mated.  Of  course,  no  one  could  have  more  than  a 
single  sheet,  and  not  every  one  could  have  even  that. 

We  found  it  almost  as  difficult  to  make  a  living  at  the 
table,  the  commissariat  being  as  poorly  supplied  as  the 
wardrobe.  The  servants  were  all  natives  who  had  never 
found  it  convenient  to  cultivate  the  Eno-lish  lano;ua2;e,  and 
we  had  no  time  to  cultivate  the  Hindustani,  Persian,  Mah- 
ratta,  or  any  of  the  numerous  dialects  of  the  region,  so  that 
we  fared  ill  while  we  were  guests  at  the  East  Indian  hotel. 

After  a  vain  attempt  to  gather  up  the  fragments  of  the 
sleep  which  we  had  lost  on  the  rail  and  at  the  stations  dur- 
ing the  night,  we  sallied  forth  to  visit  the  renowned  fort 
and  palace  of  the  emperors.  Agra,  or,  as  it  was  once  called, 
Akbarabad,  first  rose  to  importance  in  the  beginning  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  and  from  1526  to  1658  it  was  the  capital 
of  the  house  of  Timour.  Here,  for  more  than  a  century, 
the  Moguls  lavished  their  wealth  on  costly  buildings  to  be 
occupied  while  they  lived,  and  erected  still  more  costly 
structures  in  which  to  repose  after  they  were  dead. 

The  fortress,  which  is  a  mile  and  a  half  in  circumference, 
and  which  contains  the  palace,  was  built  by  the  Emperor 
Akbar.     It  stands  upon  the  banks  of  the  Jumna,  the  mass- 


298  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

ive  walls  on  the  river  side  being  sixty  feet  in  height,  and 
commanding  a  magnificent  view  of  the  river  and  conntry. 
When  it  was  built  it  was  a  fortress  of  immense  strength, 
but  the  mode  of  warfare  has  changed  in  modern  times ;  it 
would  not  now  be  regarded  as  impregnable.  It  served, 
however,  as  a  shelter  to  the  European  families  during  the 
four  or  five  months  of  the  mutiny  in  which  they  were  shut 
up  and  shut  out  from  all  communication  with  the  rest  of 
the  world,  but  kept  secure  f]'om  the  hordes  of  mutineers 
that  swarmed  around  them.  Xearly  six  thousand  refugees 
from  the  city  and  the  neighboring  country  were  thus  pro- 
tected. 

As  a  specimen  of  the  manner  in  which  the  old  emperors 
were  accustomed  to  fortify  their  palaces,  it  may  be  mention- 
ed that  when  Agra  was  taken  by  the  British  in  1803,  among 
the  spoils  found  within  the  fort  was  a  cannon  of  twenty- 
three  inches  bore,  the  metal  eleven  and  a  half  inches  thick 
at  the  muzzle,  fourteen  feet  and  two  inches  in  length,  and 
weighing  ninety-six  thousand  pounds.  It  carried  a  ball  of 
cast-iron  weighing  fifteen  hundred  pounds.  This  stupen- 
dous piece  of  ordnance  was  blown  into  fragments  by  the 
orders  of  a  British  officer,  who  perhaps  had  some  fear  that 
he  might  live  long  enough  to  feel  the  weight  of  one  of  its 
balls. 

The  entrance  to  the  fortress  is  strongly  protected  by  tow- 
ers and  passages  elaborately  consti'ucted,  such  a  gateway 
as  none  but  a  powerful  assault  could  force.  We  drove 
through  it  into  the  grand  court,  and  alighting,  entered  the 
Diwan-i-maum,  the  ancient  judgment-hall  in  which  the  Mo- 
gul emperors  dispensed  justice  after  the  manner  of  the 
times.  Strange  as  well  as  splendid  scenes  had  passed  with- 
in those  walls,  when  an  empire  rich  beyond  all  precedent 
yielded  its  immense  revenues  to  fill  the  coffei-S  and  swell 
the  state  of  those  despotic  monarchs. 

The  palace  stands  in  the  same  inclosure,  one  portion  of 
its  walls,  with  its  stone  balconies,  overhanging,  at  a  dizzy 
height,  the  walls  of  the  fort  itself.     It  was  built  by  Shah 


AOSA  AND  THE  TAJ.  299 

Jehan,  grandson  of  Akbar,  and,  like  every  thing  in  archi- 
tecture that  he  nndertook,  was  executed  at  immense  ex- 
pense and  in  exquisite  taste.  This  emperor  celebrated  his 
accession  to  the  throne  by  a  festival  which,  according  to 
Khafi  Khan,  cost  more  than  fifteen  millions  of  rupees  (a 
sum  equal  to  $7,500,000) ;  and  although  he  expended  hun- 
dreds of  millions  on  costly  structures  and  their  adornment, 
and  hundreds  of  millions  more  npon  his  army,  he  had  in 
his  treasury,  when  he  died,  more  than  $100,000,000  of 
coined  money,  besides  a  vast  accumulation  of  the  precious 
metals  in  bullion,  jewels,  and  precious  stones. 

The  palace  was  laid  out  upon  a  scale  of  great  magnifi- 
cence, designed  alike  for  the  entertainment  as  well  as  the 
luxurious  living  of  its  inmates.  One  of  the  court-yards 
was  arranged  in  mosaic  for  a  game  resembling  chess,  in 
which  the  men,  living  persons,  made  the  moves  according 
to  the  order  of  the  emperor  and  his  guests,  who  were  seat- 
ed in  the  fretted  marble  balconies  above.  The  bath,  a  suite 
of  marble  rooms,  was  set  with  thousands  of  convex  mirrors, 
which  multiplied  the  artificial  lights  by  myriads,  making  it 
a  scene  of  splendor  indescribable. 

The  Motee  3Iusjid,  or  Pearl  Mosque,  standing  near  the 
Judgment  Hall,  is  an  exquisite  specimen  of  architecture 
and  of  the  sculptor's  art,  of  the  finest  marble,  the  interior 
carved  in  flowers  and  vines,  chaste  and  simple,  but  sur- 
passingly beautiful.  It  is  not  alone  the  Pearl  Mosque ;  it  is 
the  pearl  of  mosques,  unequaled  in  purity  and  beauty  by 
any  similar  structure. 

But  all  that  we  had  seen  in  the  forts  of  Akbar  and  the 
palace  of  Shah  Jehan  M^as  eclipsed  by  another  structure, 
the  most  sublime  and  beautiful  that  now  stands  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth.  This,  I  believe,  is  the  unqualified  testi- 
mony of  every  one  who  has  seen  the  Taj. 

About  a  mile  to  the  south  of  the  fort  at  Agra,  upon  the 
right  bank  of  the  River  Jumna,  lies  a  beautiful  park,  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  square,  planted  with  the  choicest  trees, 
and  shrubs,  and  flowers  of  the  East.     More  than  eight}' 


300  AMOUND  THE  WORLD. 

fountains,  scattered  along  the  avennes  of  this  park,  throw 
their  jets  into  the  air,  which  sparkles  with  the  falling  drops 
as  with  a  shower  of  diamonds.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  high 
wall,  and  guarded  by  a  magniiicent  gateway,  a  building 
fifty  or  sixty  feet  in  height,  which,  with  any  other  surround- 
ings, would  be  studied  and  admired  for  its  architectural 
grandeur,  and  the  beauty  of  its  carving  and  mosaic  orna- 
mentation. Ko  one  would  imagine  it  to  be  simply  the 
portal  to  greater  beauty  and  grandeur,  but  such  it  is. 

We  enter  beneath  this  majestic  arch,  and  find  ourselves 
within  the  park.  A  broad  avenue,  skirted  with  lofty  cy- 
presses, acacias,  and  other  Oriental  trees,  and  tanks  of 
aquatic  plants  and  jets  cFeau,  reveals,  at  its  extremity,  an 
object  which  at  once  rivets  the  eye,  and  steals  over  the 
heart  like  a  strain  of  delicious  music,  or  like  the  melody  of 
sublime  poetry.  It  is  the  Taj,  the  peerless  Taj,  the  mauso- 
leum erected  by  the  Emperor  Sliah  Jehan  as  the  tomb  of 
his  favorite  begum,  Noor  Mahal,  in  which  they  now  sleep 
side  by  side.  She  died  before  him  in  giving  birth  to  a 
child,  and  it  is  stated  that,  as  she  felt  her  life  ebbing  away, 
she  sent  for  the  emperor,  and  told  him  she  had  only  two 
requests  to  make :  fii'st,  that  he  would  not  take  another 
wife  and  have  children  to  contend  with  hers  for  his  favor 
and  dominions ;  and,  second,  that  he  would  build  for  her 
the  tomb  he  had  promised,  to  perpetuate  her  memory. 
The  emperor  summoned  the  medical  counselors  of  the  cit}' 
to  do  every  thing  that  was  in  their  power  to  save  her  life, 
but  all  in  vain. 

Shah  Jehan,  who  was  devotedly  attached  to  her,  at  once 
set  about  complying  with  her  last  request.  The  tomb  was 
commenced  immediately,  and,  according  to  Ta vernier,  who 
saw  its  first  and  last  stones  laid,  it  was  twentv-two  vears  in 
building,  with  twenty  thousand  men  constantly  occupied 
upon  it.  It  cost,  in  actual  expense,  in  addition  to  the 
forced  labor  of  the  men,  more  than  three  hundred  lacs  of 
rupees,  or  about  fifteen  millions  of  dollars.  Such  a  build- 
ing, including  the  cost  of  materials,  could  scarcely  be  erect- 


AGE  A  AND  THE  TAJ.  301 

od  by  paid  labor  at  the  present  time,  even  in  India,  for 
$50,000,000. 

As  this  building  is  acknowledged  by  every  traveler  to  be 
imrivaled,  and  the  sight  of  it  declared  by  many  to  be  worth 
a  journey  round  the  w^orld,  I  will  give  a  more  minute  de- 
scription of  its  situation  and  its  prominent  features. 

At  the  extremity  of  the  beautiful  park  or  Oriental  garden 
of  which  I  have  spoken,  on  the  river  side  rises  a  terrace  of 
red  sandstone  twenty  feet  in  height,  and  a  thousand  feet 
broad.  The  walls  of  the  terrace  on  all  sides  are  of  hewn 
stone,  and  its  surface  is  paved  with  the  same  material.  At 
the  extreme  left  of  this  terrace  stands  a  magnificent  mosque, 
an  appendage  to  the  main  structure,  the  Taj.  It  is  the 
place  of  prayer  for  the  faithful,  who  come  to  visit  the  tomb 
of  the  favorite  of  the  Mogul  emperor.  This  building  alone 
must  have  been  very  costly,  but  as  it  would  destroy  the 
symmetry  of  the  grand  mausoleum  by  occupying  one  side 
of  the  central  building,  the  emperor  had  another  mosque,  a 
perfect  counterpart,  erected  on  the  opposite  extremity  of 
the  terrace,  a  thousand  feet  distant,  of  no  use  excepting  as 
ajotvah,  or  answer  to  the  first.  The  one  is  held  as  a  sacred 
place ;  the  other,  in  the  eyes  of  a  Mohammedan,  has  noth- 
ing sacred  about  it;  it  is  simply  the  complement  of  the 
first. 

On  the  lofty  terrace  of  sandstone  rises  another  terrace 
of  pure  white  marble,  its  walls  of  cut  stone  laid  as  regular- 
ly as  the  courses  of  a  marble  building.  This  terrace  is 
three  hundred  feet  square.  At  each  of  its  four  corners 
there  stands  a  circular  marble  minaret,  about  twenty-five 
feet  in  diameter,  diminishing  in  size  until  at  the  height  of 
a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  it  is  crowned  with  an  open  cupo- 
la, commanding  a  magnificent  view  of  the  Taj  with  its  sur- 
roundings, of  the  River  Jumna,  the  city  and  fort  of  Agra, 
and  of  the  adjacent  country.  I  ascended  to  the  top  of  one 
of  these  minarets,  and  had  photographed  upon  my  memory 
a  view  which  I  am  sure  no  time  can  dim. 

In  the  centre  of  this  marble  terrace,  equidistant  from 


302  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

the  four  lofty  and  graceful  minarets,  stands  the  building 
which  for  more  than  two  centuries  has  been  the  admira- 
tion of  every  eye  that  in  all  that  period  of  time  has  rested 
on  it.  It  is  an  octagon,  or  it  might  perhaps  be  more  cor- 
rectly described  as  a  square  with  each  of  the  four  corners 
slightly  cut  off,  and  is  crowned  witli  a  high  swelling  dome, 
having  the  gracefulness  of  outline  which  seems  to  have 
been  an  inspiration  in  the  Mohammedan  and  Oriental  styles 
of  architecture.  The  building  is  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  in  diameter;  the  crescent  upon  the  summit  of  the 
dome  nearly  two  hundred  feet  above  the  pavement.  Tlie 
structure  is  built  from  foundation  to  topstone  of  the  purest 
marble,  so  perfect  in  its  preservation  and  so  unspotted  in 
its  whiteness  that  it  looks  as  if  it  might  have  been  erected 
only  yesterday.  Standing  upon  its  marble  pedestal,  it  vies 
in  purity  with  the  clouds  that  are  floating  by.  A  cupola 
of  the  same  material  rests  upon  the  roof  on  each  side  of 
the  dome.  The  exterior  of  the  building  is  carved  in  grace- 
ful designs,  the  front  elaborately  wrought,  but  in  such  per- 
fect taste  as  to  fill  the  eye  like  a  picture  in  colors.  No  de- 
scription will  convey  to  the  mind  any  idea  of  the  effect  of 
the  engraving  on  the  arched  doorway.  It  is  elaborate,  but 
not  florid,  giving  to  the  solid  marble  almost  the  lightness 
of  a  cloud.  Indeed,  the  whole  building,  as  you  look  upon 
it,  seems  to  float  in  the  air  like  an  autumn  cloud. 

Let  us  enter — but  breathe  softly  and  tread  gently  as  you 
step  within.  It  is  the  sleeping  chamber  of  Noor  Mahal, 
the  cherished  wife  of  the  Mogul  emperor,  Shah  Jehan,  and 
here,  beneath  this  magnificent  dome,  they  lie  side  by  side, 
each  in  a  couch  of  almost  transparent  marble,  set  with  pre- 
cious stones,  and  wrought  exquisitely  in  tracery  of  vine 
and  flowers.  Nowhere  else  has  human  dust  been  laid  away 
to  slumber  in  such  superb  repose — so  beautiful,  so  silent, 
so  sacred,  so  sublime.  In  such  perfect,  exquisite  taste  is 
every  thing  within  as  well  as  without,  that  it  is  more  like 
a  creation  than  the  work  of  man.  The  whole  interior, 
which  is  lighted  only  from  the  lofty  doorway,  is  open  from 


AGBA  AND  THE  TAJ.  303 

wall  to  wall,  and  from  the  pavement  to  the  summit  of  the 
dome,  with  the  exception  of  a  high  marble  screen  standing 
abont  twenty  or  thirty  feet  from  the  outer  wall,  and  ex- 
tending entirely  around  the  building.  This  is  cut  in  open 
tracery,  so  as  to  resemble  a  curtain  of  lace  rather  than  a 
screen  of  solid  marble.  One  who  has  seen  the  veiled  statue 
of  a  master  artist  can  appreciate  the  deception,  if  decep- 
tion it  can  be  called  where  none  was  intended. 

The  sarcophagi  containing  the  remains  of  the  empress 
and  of  her  faithful  lover,  the  Mogul  emperor,  lie  in  the 
cr}^t  below,  which  is  reached  by  a  marble  stairway.  That 
of  the  former  has  inscribed  upon  it,  in  the  graceful  Arabic 
characters,  "Moontaj-i-Mahal,Ranoo  Begum"  (Ranoo  Be- 
gum, the  Ornament  of  the  Palace),  with  the  date  of  her 
death,  1631.  The  other  has  inwrought  the  name  of  the 
emperor,  with  the  date  of  his  death,  1666.  To  this  day 
they  are  covered  with  fresh  flowers,  strewed  by  faithful 
hands,  in  recognition  of  the  fidelity  w- hich  reared  the  struc- 
ture. 

Upon  the  main  floor,  directly  over  these  marble  slabs, 
and  under  the  canopy  of  the  open  dome,  stand  the  ceno- 
taphs, designed  simply  as  the  representatives  of  those  be- 
low, but  carved  in  tracery  and  set  with  gems  in  no  osten- 
tatious or  gaudy  style,  but  so  beautifully  and  tastefully 
that  one  lingers  around  them  as  he  stands  before  some 
masterpiece  of  art,  never  satisfied  with  looking.  Upon  the 
cenotaph  of  the  queen,  amid  wreaths  of  flowers,  worked  in 
gemmed  mosaic,  are  passages  from  the  Koran,  in  Araljic, 
one  of  wdiich  reads, "  Defend  us  from  the  tribe  of  unbe- 
lievers." This  inscription  was  made  by  the  Emperor  Shah 
Jelian,  who  seemed  to  think  no  w^ords  too  sacred  to  be  re- 
corded upon  the  tomb  of  one  whom  he  loved  so  devotedly ; 
but  his  ovni  son,  Aurungzebe,  who  placed  the  marble  in 
memory  of  his  father,  in  accordance  with  Mohammedan 
custom  regarded  the  words  of  the  Koran  as  too  holy  to  be 
engraved — the  difference  between  conjugal  and  filial  love. 
In  the  same  devotion  to  his  wife,  Shah  Jehan  caused  the 


304  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

Koran  to  be  inscribed  npou  the  interior  of  the  Taj,  in  mo- 
saic of  precious  stones,  jasper,  lapis  lazuli,  heliotrope,  chal- 
cedony, carnelian,  etc.  The  whole  of  the  Koran  is  said  to 
be  thus  inwrought,  and  yet  it  has  the  appearance  of  a  light 
and  graceful  vine  running  over  the  walls.  With  the  sen- 
tences of  the  Koran,  thus  traced  upon  the  marble  in  such 
costly  material,  are  intei'spersed  fruits,  and  flowers,  and 
running  vines,  all  of  precious  stones  inlaid,  designed  to 
represent  one  of  the  bowers  of  Paradise  in  which  the  em- 
peror had  laid  the  light  of  his  life  to  sleep  her  last  sleep. 

While  we  were  standing  beneath  that  loft}^  dome,  the 
silence  of  the  tomb  reigning  even  over  its  exquisite  beauty 
and  grandeur,  voices  at  my  side  commenced  singing : 

"In  the  hour  of  pain  and  anguish, 
In  the  hour  when  death  draws  near, 
Sutter  not  our  hearts  to  languish, 
Suff'er  not  our  souls  to  fear. 
And  when  mortal  life  is  ended, 
Bid  us  in  thine  arms  to  rest, 
'Till,  by  angel  bands  attended, 
We  awake  among  the  blest." 

The  singing  ceased,  but  far  up  in  that  snow-white  vault,  as 
if  among  the  fleecy  clouds  of  heaven,  an  angel  band  caught 
up  the  strain,  not  as  an  ordinary  echo  of  reflected  sound, 
but  as  if  prolonging  the  notes.  It  continued  as  long  as  the 
original  song,  and  at  length  gradually  died  away,  only  as 
the  song  of  angels  would  cease  to  be  heard  when  they  en- 
ter the  portals  of  heaven.  This  echo  is  as  marvelous  and 
as  celebrated  as  the  Taj  itself,  and  I  know  not  in  what 
building  or  in  what  part  of  the  world  another  like  it  can 
be  heard. 

All  this  description  may  seem  to  the  reader  simply  ex- 
travagant, but  not  if  the  reader  has  ever  looked  upon  the 
building  described.  Every  one  who  has  seen  it  will  simply 
say  that  words  are  powerless  to  express  the  ideas  which 
its  sublimity  and  beauty  inspire.  I  could  only  compare 
the  emotions  which  it  excited  to  those  awakened  by  list- 
ening to  exquisite  music,  and  the  building  to  some  sub- 


AGSA  AND  THE  TAJ.  3O5 

lime  poem,  whose  words  transport  the  soul  out  of  itself. 
The  very  first  glimpse  of  the  structure,  as  I  entered  the 
gateway  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  and  looked  down  the 
long  avenue  of  acacias  and  cypress,  was  overpowering,  and 
I  felt  at  every  step  as  I  drew  nearer  that  I  must  withdraw- 
my  gaze  or  be  overcome.  Often,  as  I  stood  within  the  Taj, 
its  silent  grandeur  was  equally  overpowering.  Moonlight 
is  said  to  add  greatly  to  the  effect  of  the  whole  scene,  giv- 
ing to  the  building  the  appearance  of  a  cloud-castle  built 
in  air. 

According  to  the  records,  Shah  Jehan  had  planned  an- 
other structure  precisely  similar  to  this  for  his  own  tomb, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Jumna,  to  be  connected  with  it 
by  a  bridge,  but  he  wisely  concluded  to  sleep  by  the  side 
of  his  beloved  begum. 

As  we  left  the  Taj  and  lingered  in  the  park,  we  found  it 
vocal  with  the  song  of  birds.  Kichly-colored  paroquets 
made  their  homes  alono;  the  cornices  of  the  surrounding 
buildings  and  upon  the  gateway,  and,  by  a  singular  though 
somewhat  sentimental  coincidence,  the  only  turtle-doves 
that  I  saw  or  heard  in  India  were  two  mates  that  sighed 
their  melancholy  notes  upon  the  evening  air  as  a  requiem 
over  Shah  Jehan  and  his  beloved  Xoor  Mahal. 

On  Christmas  morning  we  rode  out  several  miles  from 
Agra  to  Secundra,  a  station  of  the  English  Church  Mission- 
ary Society  known  as  "the  Christian  Village."  "We  heard, 
long  before  reaching  it,  the  sound  of  the  church-going  bell, 
a  strange  sound  in  a  heathen  land.  This  missionary  sta- 
tion, which  comprises  a  considerable  communit}^,  has  been 
organized  on  the  principle  of  separating  the  native  Chris- 
tians from  their  ordinary  associates  in  order  to  protect 
them  from  the  evil  influences  by  which  they  are  surround- 
ed among  their  own  people,  and  also  to  give  to  the  natives 
at  large  an  illustration  of  the  influence  of  the  Gospel  of 
Christ  upon  a  community,  important  ends  to  be  accom- 
plished, but  only  at  the  expense  of  losing  the  leavening  and 
aggressive  power  of  religion  working  through  the  relations 

U 


306  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

of  society.  It  has  too  much  of  the  community  principle 
about  it  to  commend  it  to  general  adoption.  But  in  this 
case  a  great  and  beneficent  work  has  been  done,  and  this 
Christian  community  has  become  a  light  in  the  land.  Be- 
fore we  reached  the  place  the  congregation  had  assembled 
at  the  neat  English  churcli,  whither  we  at  once  directed 
our  steps,  and  where  an  interesting  and  impressive  sight 
greeted  our  eyes  and  moved  our  hearts.  The  building, 
which  w^as  well  filled,  had  no  benches,  the  whole  congrega- 
tion, according  to  Oriental  custom,  being  seated  upon  the 
fioor,  each  one  clothed  in  pure  white,  the  women  and  girls 
with  their  long  muslin  garments  drawn  over  their  heads  as 
veils.  All  devoutly  engaged  in  the  service,  joining  in  the 
responses,  and  in  prayer  bowing  their  foreheads  to  the  pave- 
ment. The  services  were  conducted  in  the  Hindustani 
tongue,  and  were  unintelligible  to  us,  but  before  us  was  a 
congregation  of  people  who  had  been  called  out  of  the 
grossest  idolatry,  now  devoutly  engaged  in  celebrating  the 
birth  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  joining  with  Christians 
of  all  lands  in  the  song  of  the  heavenly  host, "  Glory  to  God 
in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men." 
As  I  looked  upon  them  in  their  devotions,  the  vision  of  the 
Apostle  John  in  the  Isle  of  Patmos  came  up  before  me,  and 
I  seemed  to  hear  the  inquiry, "  What  are  these  which  are 
arrayed  in  white  robes,  and  whence  came  they  ?"  and  then 
the  response, "  These  are  they  which  came  out  of  great 
tribulation,  and  have  washed  their  robes  and  made  them 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb."  Tliis  was  one  of  nu- 
merous scenes  witnessed  in  India,  which  sliow  that  the  Gos- 
pel of  Christ,  througli  the  power  of  the  divine  Spirit,  is 
making  its  conquests  and  giving  promise  of  a  day  when  it 
shall  completely  triumph  over  idolatry  and  superstition. 

The  tomb  of  Akbar,  one  of  the  Mogul  emperors,  stands 
near  Secundra,  in  the  midst  of  a  quadrangular  court  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  square.  A  heavy  wall  suri'ounds  the  square, 
making  the  inclosure  a  fortress.  The  mausoleum  in  which 
lie  the  remahis  of  the  great  emperor  is  tliree  hundred  feet 


AORA  AND  THE  TAJ.  397 

square,  and  vies  in  raagniiieence,  though  not  in  beauty,  with 
the  Taj,  rising  to  the  height  of  a  hundred  feet  in  five  ter- 
races, with  cloisters,  galleries,  domes,  and  cupolas  elaborate- 
ly wrought.  The  roof  of  the  highest  elevation  is  fiat,  one 
hundred  feet  square.  In  the  centre  stands  a  cenotaph  of 
pure  marble,  elaborately  carved  with  the  I^ow  Nubbey 
Nmn^  the  ninety -nine  names  of  God,  from  the  Koran.  It  is 
covered  with  a  cupola,  not  for  the  protection  of  the  ceno- 
taph, but  to  guard  the  names  of  God  from  the  storm.  The 
roof  is  surrounded  by  a  lattice  of  carved  marble,  and  at 
each  corner  is  a  beautiful  marble  cupola,  light  and  grace- 
ful. The  sarcophagus  wdiich  contains  the  dust  of  the  em- 
peror, on  the  ground  floor,  is  reached  by  a  descending  pas- 
sage similar  to  that  of  the  great  pyramid  of  Egypt.  The 
whole  structure  is  almost  as  massive  as  the  pyramids. 

Akbar  was  the  most  powerful  sovereign  of  his  da}^,  and 
a  man  of  independent  if  not  enlightened  views.  He  open- 
ed the  places  of  honor  and  responsibility  to  all  races  and  all 
religions,  and  by  his  liberal  and  tolerant  policy  secured  to  a 
greater  extent  than  most  Oriental  monarchs  the  affections 
of  his  people.  His  sons  having  all  died  in  infancy,  he  made 
a  pilgrimage  to  the  shrine  of  a  celebrated  saint  at  Ajmere 
to  sue  for  an  heir.  He  w^cnt  with  his  wliole  family  on  foot 
a  distance  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  at  the  rate  of 
four  miles  a  day.  Walls  of  cloth  were  put  up  on  each  side 
of  the  road,  and  carpets  spread  for  the  royal  pilgrims  the 
entire  distance.  On  reaching  the  shrine,  he  was  referred 
to  another  saint  still  living  at  Secree,  where  he  was  prom- 
ised an  heir  that  should  live  to  a  good  old  age.  The  em- 
press afterward  gave  birth  to  a  son,  who  became  the  re- 
nowned Jehangeer.  Akbar  then  took  up  his  residence  at 
Futtehpore  Secree,  about  twenty  miles  from  Agra,  where 
he  founded  a  summer  capital,  covering  the  hills  with  mag- 
nificent buildings,  the  very  ruins  of  which  are  among  the 
most  impressive  testimonies  to  the  grandeur  of  the  Mogul 
court.  When  he  died,  the  treasures  that  he  had  heaped  to- 
gether— coin,  jewels,  plate,  brocades,  etc. — were  estimated 


308  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

at  seven  Inmdred  inillions  of  rupees  (about  $350,000,000). 
His  crown,  studded  with  jewels,  was  valued  at  twenty  mill- 
ions of  rupees.  One  of  the  historians  of  India  thus  de- 
scribes the  splendor  of  his  reign  : 

"  The  greatest  displays  of  Akbar's  grandeur  were  at  the 
vernal  equinox  and  on  his  birthday.  They  lasted  for  several 
days,  during  which  there  was  a  general  fair,  and  many  pro- 
cessions and  other  pompous  shows.  The  emperor's  usual 
place  was  in  a  rich  tent,  in  the  midst  of  awnings  to  keep  off 
the  sun.  At  least  two  acres  were  thus  spi-ead  with  silk  and 
gold,  carpets  and  hangings,  as  rich  as  velvet  embroidered 
with  gold,  pearls,  and  precious  stones  could  make  them.  The 
nobility  had  similar  pavilions,  where  they  received  visits  from 
each  other,  and  sometimes  from  the  emperor.  Dresses,  jewels, 
horses,  and  elephants  were  bestowed  upon  the  nobles.  The 
emperor  was  weighed  in  golden  scales  against  gold,  silver, 
perfumes,  and  other  substances  in  succession,  which  were  dis- 
tributed among  the  spectators.  Almonds  and  other  fruits  of 
gold  and  silver  were  scattered  by  tlie  emperor's  own  hand, 
and  eagerly  caught  by  the  courtiers.  On  the  great  day  of 
each  festival  the  emperor  was  seated  on  his  throne  in  a  noble 
palace,  surrounded  by  his  nobles,  wearing  high  heron-plumes, 
and  sparkling  with  diamonds  like  the  firmament.  Many  hun- 
dred elephants  passed  before  him  in'  companies,  all  most  rich- 
ly adorned,  and  the  leading  elephant  of  each  company  with 
gold  plates  on  his  head  and  breast  set  with  rubies  and  eme- 
ralds. Trains  of  caparisoned  horses  followed,  and  after  them 
rhinoceroses,  lions,  tigers,  panthers,  hunting  leopai'ds,  hounds, 
and  hawks,  the  whole  concluding  with  an  innumerable  host 
of  cavalry  glittering  with  cloth  of  gold." 

Intending  to  leave  for  Delhi  in  the  afternoon,  we  short- 
ened our  stay  at  the  tomb  of  Akbar,  and  hastened  back  to- 
ward Agra.  But,  alas  for  human  calculations  in  Oriental 
lands !  our  horses  were  factors  or  tractors  in  the  calcula- 
tion which  we  had  not  taken  fully  into  the  account.  One 
of  the  miserable  beasts  gave  out,  and,  after  walking  about 
two  miles,  we  impressed  an  eJcka,  one  of  the  rough  carts  of 
the  country,  and  so  reached  our  hotel.  Here  a  new  mis- 
fortune awaited  us,  revealing  visions  of  the  Black  Hole  of 
Calcutta,  or  some  idle  prison,  not  at  all  agreeable  to  our 
fancy  in  that  land  of  the  Moguls  and  the  Hindoos. 


AGRA  AND  THE  TAJ.  3()9 

Hav-ing  hastily  arranged  our  baggage,  our  bills  duly 
paid  (with  the  usual  necessary  abatements),  our  luggage 
all  upon  the  gharries,  we  stepped  in  and  gave  the  order  to 
start,  on  w'hich  I  settled  back  into  my  seat  in  the  vain  ex- 
pectation that  it  would  be  obeyed.  Again  I  looked  out 
and  repeated  the  order,  using  the  strongest  Hindustani 
words  that  I  could  command,  but  it  was  of  no  avail.  Step- 
ping out  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  I  was  confronted  by  a 
native  policeman,  whose  orders  had  been  more  forcible 
than  my  own,  and  I  at  length  learned  that  the  w^hole  party 
were  under  arrest  for  stealing  one  of  the  four  sheets  that 
we  had  been  able  to  muster  on  the  day  of  our  arrival.  Of 
course  we  were  very  indignant,  but  police  officers  the  world 
over  seem  to  have  a  common  understanding  not  to  regard 
indignant  looks  and  high  words  as  conclusive  proof  of  in- 
nocence, and  our  warm  expressions  were  received  with 
great  coldness.  I  had  once,  in  a  strange  city  in  my  own 
country,  been  arrested  for  passing  counterfeit  money,  but 
then  I  was  near  enough  to  my  own  friends  to  communi- 
cate with  them,  and  establish  my  innocence.  Now  we 
were  ten  thousand  miles  away  from  those  who  would  cer- 
tify to  our  previous  good  character  in  regard  to  thieving, 
and  the  circumstantial  evidence  was  decidedly  against  us. 
When  our  party  of  seven  arrived  at  the  hotel,  there  were 
four  sheets  distributed  among  us  as  the  extent  of  the  ac- 
commodations of  the  first  hotel  in  Agra.  As  we  were  about 
to  depart,  only  three  sheets  could  be  found,  and  what  sup- 
position was  more  reasonable,  wliat  proof  could  be  more 
positive  than  this,  that  we  had  stolen  the  fourth,  and  that 
it  had  been  secreted  somewhere  in  our  baggage.  Of  course 
it  was  not  to  be  thou2-ht  of  for  a  moment  that  one  of  the 
dozen  Hindoo  servants,  or  one  of  the  traveling  merchants 
or  mendicants  who  had  been  coming  and  going  through 
the  bungalow  all  the  day  long,  had  taken  it.  We  were  the 
culprits  beyond  all  question,  and  must  submit  to  an  exami- 
nation. Cooling  dowm  in  a  measure,  we  ordered  the  trunks 
to  be  taken  from  the  ofharries,  and  full  search  to  be  made : 


310  ABOUND  THE  WOULD. 

but,  wiien  we  consented  to  have  it  done,  tliey  did  not  wish 
to  do  it,  like  the  Frenchman  who,  in  a  financial  panic, 
made  haste  to  draw  out  all  his  deposits  from  the  bank,  but 
when  he  found  the  teller  ready  to  hand  it  over,  he  declined 
to  take  the  money ;  he  wanted  it  only  in  case  the  bank  was 
not  willing  to  pay.  The  next  order  of  the  police  was  to 
have  the  ladies'  satchels  searched.  By  this  time  matters 
grew  somewhat  serious,  and  we  made  inquisition  for  the 
host,  Mr.  Beaumont,  who  had  not  appeared  on  the  scene, 
whether  privy  to  it  or  not.  To  him  we  could  talk  in  round 
English,  and  we  improved  the  opportunity.  He  became 
our  bail,  notwithstanding  we  gave  him  the  assurance  that 
after  such  treatment  we  certainly  should  not  stop  at  his  ho- 
tel the  next  time  we  came  to  India.  The  whole  affair  was 
undoubtedly  a  ruse  on  the  part  of  the  servants,  who  had 
secreted  the  sheet,  thinking  they  could  extort  money  from 
us,  in  payment  for  the  loss,  by  calling  in  the  police  to  ar- 
rest us.  After  the  affair  was  all  over,  there  came  an  ap- 
prehension on  our  part  that,  as  the  sheets  had  been  folded 
in  the  morning  in  anticipation  of  our  departure,  one  of 
them  might  possibly  have  been  packed  unnoticed  with  our 
baggage.  We  reached  the  cars  in  season,  and  at  midnight, 
by  moonlight,  crossed  the  lofty  iron  bridge  over  the  Jumna 
at  Delhi,  and  entered  the  renowned  capital  of  the  Mogul 
emperors,  more  than  a  thousand  miles  from  Calcutta.  We 
made  deliberate  inquisition,  but  not  a  trace  of  the  missing 
sheet  which  had  occasioned  our  arrest  at  Agra  was  found, 
and  we  had  the  proud  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  we  had 
not  only  escaped  the  prisons  of  Agra,  but  were  guiltless  of 
the  felony. 


DELHI.  <^W 


XXII. 

DELHI. 

The  vicinity  of  Delhi  is  a  field  in  which  the  antiquarian 
may  revel  in  endless  delight.  Within  a  circle  of  less  than 
twenty  miles,  one  dynasty  after  another  has  established  its 
capital  and  ruled  in  splendor,  and  then  passed  away,  leav- 
ing the  field  to  the  conqueror,  who,  instead  of  occupying 
the  same  site,  has  founded  a  new  city,  and  left  the  old  to 
crumble  into  ruins.  In  this  way  numerous  cities  have  been 
scattered  over  the  plain,  the  monuments  of  some  remaining 
to  this  day,  while  the  very  history  of  others  has  been  lost. 
One  monument,  the  loftiest  single  column  in  the  world, 
stands  about  ten  miles  from  Delhi,  in  the  midst  of  magnifi- 
cent ruins,  of  which  there  is  no  satisfactory  account  in  the 
records  of  India.  Old  Delhi,  as  it  is  called,  the  last  forsa- 
ken site,  is  in  greater  perfection ;  the  walls  remain,  and 
much  of  the  city  is  yet  standing,  but  its  halls  are  deserted ; 
vagabonds  and  beasts  of  prey  share  its  hospitality  alike. 
But  if  the  region  is  a  field  for  the  antiquarian,  the  present 
city,  for  a  long  period  the  capital  of  the  Mogul  empire,  is 
the  home  of  fancy  and  the  field  for  romance. 

Delhi  was  founded  by  Shah  Jehan  about  two  centuries 
and  a  half  ago.  When  his  golden  sun  arose  he  determined 
to  mark  the  day  by  erecting  a  monumental  city.  Leaving 
Agra,  which  had  been  built  chiefly  by  his  grandfather,  the 
renowned  Akbar,  altliough  greatly  beautified  by  himself, 
he  came  to  Delhi  and  laid  the  foundations  of  the  gorgeous 
capital.  It  is  inclosed  by  a  wall  of  granite  five  and  a  half 
miles  in  circuit,  and  is  entered  by  twelve  strongly  fortified 
gates — the  Calcutta,  the  Cashmere,  the  Lahore,  etc.  One 
of  these,  the  scene  of  an  heroic  and  successful  assault  by 


312  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

the  English  during  tlie  mutiny  of  1857,  like  the  fort  and 
the  city  itself,  has  a  modern  tragic  history  of  the  deepest 
interest.  One  principal  street,  the  Chandnee  Chowk,  120 
feet  wide,  divides  the  town,  and  is  daily  the  scene  of  more 
strictly  Asiatic  display  than  any  other  street  in  India.  It 
is  alike  the  Boulevard  and  the  Broadway  of  Delhi.  On 
either  side  are  shops  and  wareliouses  of  the  wealthy  mer- 
chants ;  the  centre  is  a  broad  terrace  or  promenade,  shaded 
with  acacias  and  other  ornamental  trees.  During  the  day 
the  Chandnee  Chowk  is  a  busy  mart  of  trade,  but  toward 
evening  the  loaded  trains  of  camels  and  other  beasts  of  bur- 
den disappear,  tlie  hum  of  business  dies  away,  and  a  scene 
of  Oriental  leisure  and  display  ensues.  The  promenade  is 
thronged  w^ith  persons  in  all  the  varied  costumes  of  the  in- 
terior of  Asia,  while  richly-caparisoned  Arabian  horses,  ele- 
phants with  gayly-dressed  riders,  and  not  a  few  English  car- 
riages belonging  to  natives,  pass  up  and  down  the  broad 
street.  Other  parts  of  the  city  are  equally  curious  in  their 
way.  The  grain  markets  are  one  of  tlie  sights.  Camels 
and  buffaloes,  with  their  heavy  freights,  come  and  go  like 
ships  entering  and  leaving  port,  and  a  noisy  multitude, 
scarcely  less  bewildering  and  far  more  entertaining  than 
the  crowd  of  a  Western  produce  exchange,  almost  fascinate 
a  stranger.  The  people  of  the  city  at  all  hours  of  the  day, 
but  still  more  toward  evening,  may  be  seen  at  home  on  the 
flat  roofs  of  their  houses,  apparently  unnoticed  by  and  im- 
noticing  their  nearest  neighbors.  One  feels,  in  treading 
the  streets  of  Delhi,  that  he  has  reached  the  heart  of  Asia, 
and  every  thing  is  so  intimately  associated  with  the  old 
Mogul  dynasty  that  its  ancient  scenes  of  barbaric  splendor 
are  continually  rising  up  before  him. 

The  fortress,  built  by  Shah  Jehan  for  a  palace,  extends 
nearly  a  mile  along  the  river,  and  is  protected  on  all  sides 
by  a  strong  wall  forty  feet  in  height,  flanked  with  bastions 
and  turrets.  The  main  gateway,  the  Lahore,  is  a  tower  of 
great  strength.  Entering  through  the  archway,  whicli  once 
was  richly  ornamented  with  flowers  in  mosaic  and  with  in- 


DELHI.  313 

scriptions  from  the  Koran,  and  passing  into  the  grand  court, 
we  came  to  the  Diwan-a-im,  the  hall  where  the  emperor 
gave  free  andience  to  all  who  had  any  petition  or  cause  to 
present.  It  is  an  immense  canopy,  supported  by  pillars  of 
stone,  with  an  elevated  throne  on  one  side,  the  wall  inlaid 
with  mosaics  of  precious  stones  representing  flowers  and 
fruits,  birds  and  beasts.  The  Dhoan-i-Mas,  or  hall  of  pri- 
vate audience,  is  smaller,  but  it  is  a  gem  of  beauty.  It  is 
an  open  marble  pavilion,  resting  on  massive  pillars  and  Mo- 
resque arches,  the  marble  highly  polished,  and  having  almost 
the  transparency  of  alabaster.  The  marble  balustrade  is 
exquisitely  carved  in  elaborate  perforated  work.  At  each 
corner  of  the  roof  stands  a  marble  kiosk  with  a  gilded  dome ; 
the  ceiling  was  once  composed  of  gold  and  silver  filigree 
work,  for  which  the  goldsmiths  of  Delhi  are  celebrated  to 
the  present  day.  One  side  of  the  Diwan-i-khas  opens  on 
the  court  by  which  we  entered,  and  commands  a  x\e\v  of 
the  whole  interior  of  the  fortress ;  another  looks  out  upon 
the  palace  gardens,  which  are  still  kept  in  great  beauty ;  a 
third  affords  a  charming  view  of  the  Eiver  Jumna,  while 
the  fourth,  which  is  closed,  rests  upon  the  walls  of  the  royal 
zenana.  On  the  side  that  is  closed  once  stood  the  famous 
"  Peacock  Throne,"  the  admiration,  if  not  the  envy,  of  the 
world  in  the  days  when  the  Mogul  dynasty  was  at  the  ze- 
nith of  its  splendor.     It  is  thus  described : 

"  The  throne  was  six  feet  long  and  four  feet  broad,  com- 
posed of  solid  gold  inlaid  with  precious  gems.  It  was  sur- 
mounted by  a  gold  canopy,  supported  on  twelve  pillars  of  the 
same  material.  Around  the  canopy  hung  a  fringe  of  pearls; 
on  each  side  of  the  throne  stood  two  chattahs,  or  umbrellas, 
symbols  of  royalty,  formed  of  crimson  velvet  richly  embroid- 
ered with  gold  thread  and  pearls,  and  with  handles  of  solid 
gold,  eight  feet  long,  studded  with  diamonds.  The  back  of 
the  throne  was  a  representation  of  the  expanded  tail  of  a  pea- 
cock, the  natural  colors  of  which  were  imitated  by  sapphires, 
rubies,  emeralds,  and  other  brilliant  gems.  Its  value  was  es- 
timated by  Tavernier,  a  French  jeweler,  who  saw  it  in  its  per- 
fection, at  six  millions  of  pounds  sterling,  or  thirty  millions  of 
dollars." 


314  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

This  famous  Peacock  Throne  was  taken  away  by  the  Per- 
sian conqueror,  Nadir  Shah,  who  not  only  stripped  the  pal- 
ace, but  signalized  his  conquest  and  the  subjugation  of  the 
Mogul  capital  by  ordering  the  slaughter  of  a  hundred  thou- 
sand of  its  helpless  inhabitants,  men,  w^omen,  and  children. 
He  sat  with  the  conquered  emperor  in  the  Diwan-i-hhas, 
sipping  his  coffee,  while  the  dead  were  piled  in  the  streets. 
As  we  trod  this  marble  hall,  once  the  scene  of  imperial 
splendor,  memory  and  fancy  bringing  up  the  contrasts  of 
grandeur  and  cruelty,  glory  and  humiliation  which  had  here 
been  witnessed,  and  as  we  thought  of  the  many  changes 
which  had  come  over  the  face  of  things  since  Shah  Jehan 
sat  upon  his  throne  of  brilliants,  we  could  only  look  in  sad- 
ness upon  the  delusive  inscription  which  the  emperor  had 
engraved  in  the  beautiful  Arabic  characters  upon  the  mar- 
ble walls :  "  If  there  be  a  paradise  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 
it  is  this — it  is  this — it  is  this." 

Only  a  portion  of  the  adjoining  seraglio  remains,  but  the 
Htimmaums,  or  royal  baths,  rooms  of  the  purest  white 
marble,  with  inlaid  borders,  marble  floors  and  tanks,  and  a 
fountain  in  tlie  centre  of  each  room,  have  a  richness  and 
exquisite  beauty  that  is  almost  inconceivable  in  connection 
with  such  simplicity  of  material.  The  3£otee  Ifusjid,  or 
Pearl  Mosque,  a  miniature  of  the  Pearl  Mosque  at  Agra,  is 
a  pearl  itself,  built  exclusively  of  wdiite  marble,  and  giving 
one  an  idea  of  purity  such  as  no  other  material  suggests. 

The  Jumina  Musjid,  accounted  the  grandest  mosque  in 
the  East,  stands  upon  an  eminence  in  another  part  of  the 
city.  Its  paved  court,  450  feet  square,  having  in  the  cen- 
tre a  large  marble  reservoir  of  water,  is  skirted  on  three 
sides  by  a  colonnade  of  red  sandstone,  with  a  marble  pa- 
vilion at  each  corner.  The  building  is  very  imposing,  and, 
with  the  lofty  minarets,  forms  one  of  the  most  striking  ob- 
jects in  the  city,  whether  seen  from  a  distance  or  near  at 
hand.  The  view  from  its  summit,  taking  in  the  city  and 
fort,  the  river  and  a  vast  extent  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, is  sublime.     Long  did  I  linger  upon  it  to  study  the 


DELHI.  315 

Strange  map  which  lay  before  me,  and  to  ponder  over  the 
history  of  strange  events  which  had  been  written  on  it  by 
the  hand  of  time  through  more  than  a  score  of  centuries. 

We  devoted  one  day  to  the  Kootuh-Minar,  eleven  miles 
from  Delhi,  and  to  the  intervening  monuments  and  ruins 
which  are  thickly  scattered  over  the  plain  in  all  directions. 
The  Kootub-Minar  is  a  fluted  colunm  240  feet  in  height, 
more  than  100  feet  in  circumference  at  the  base,  and  grad- 
ually diminishing  to  forty  feet  at  the  summit.  It  is  di- 
vided into  five  stories  by  projecting  balconies,  which  sur- 
round the  tower  and  add  greatly  to  its  beauty.  There  are 
many  curious  but  evidently  designed  coincidences  in  its 
construction.  The  lowest  and  upper  stories  make  precise- 
ly half  the  height;  the  lower  story  is  just  twice  the  diame- 
ter, and  the  whole  column  is  five  diameters  in  height.  For 
what  purpose  the  column  was  erected  is  a  problem  which 
the  antiquarians  of  India  have  not  solved,  but  their  solu- 
tion is  not  at  all  essential  to  the  admiration  of  a  structure 
which  is  pronounced  the  finest  of  its  kind.  There  it  stands, 
in  the  midst  of  the  ruins  of  an  almost  forgotten  city,  tow- 
ering up  toward  the  heavens  in  solitary  grandeur.  One  is 
fascinated  as  he  follows  up  its  beautifully  fluted  sides  un- 
til the  lines  mingle  at  the  summit,  and  as  he  gazes  its  pro- 
portions swell  and  rise,  and  his  thoughts  become  lost  in  the 
clouds.  I  have  a  sort  of  passion  for  climbing  heights,  and 
could  not  resist  the  impulse  to  travel  up  the  spiral  stair- 
case to  the  top  (there  were  only  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
tive  steps),  to  look  out  from  this  elevation  upon  the  ruined 
cities  and  magnificent  mausoleums,  and  upon  the  city  of 
Delhi  in  the  distance.  The  view  was  many  times  worth 
the  climb. 

At  the  foot  of  the  Mhmr  are  the  carved  fragments  of 
the  Musjid-i-Kootiib-ul- Islam,  which  was  erected  as  the 
grand  mosque  of  old  Delhi.  It  was  constructed  by  the 
Mohammedan  conqueror  from  the  spoils  of  twenty-seven 
Hindoo  temples  at  the  close  of  the  twelfth  century.  Some 
of  the  arches  and  pillars  are  exquisitely  sculptured.    Among 


316  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

tliein  stands  an  enigma  in  the  shape  of  an  iron  pillar  five 
feet  in  circumference  and  fifty  feet  in  length,  cast  in  a  sin- 
gle shaft.  It  stands  erect,  the  base  by  actual  investigation 
liaving  been  found  nearly  thirty  feet  below  the  surface  of 
the  ground.  It  has  stood  there  more  than  a  thousand 
years,  but  when,  by  whom,  or  for  what  purpose  it  was  erect- 
ed is  unknown.  It  furnishes  solid  testimony,  to  the  weight 
of  fifteen  or  twenty  tons,  that  heavy  castings  are  not  among 
the  modern  achievements  of  art. 

In  all  parts  of  the  world  there  is  only  a  step  between 
the  sublime  and  the  ridiculous,  and  no  one  must  expect  to 
find  it  widened  in  Oriental  lauds.  It  is  rarely  that  we 
make  the  attempt  to  look  through  magnificent  structures 
and  imposing  ruins  into  the  regions  of  the  past,  without  be- 
ing called  back  to  the  present  by  some  plaintive  cry  for 
charity,  or  a  repulsive  demand  for  backsheesh  from  the 
pretended  lords  of  these  crumbling  heaps  of  stone.  On 
this  occasion,  after  we  had  descended  from  the  Minar,  we 
were  summoned  to  witness  a  feat  which  every  traveler 
must  witness,  and  for  which  every  one  must  pay.  "We 
were  taken  to  an  immense  well,  eighty -five  feet  in  deptli 
and  about  fifty  in  diameter.  A  half  dozen  nearly  naked 
natives  stood  upon  the  wall  around  the  edge,  waiting  for 
the  nod  that  seals  a  contract  to  pay  them  for  the  exploit. 
We  nodded,  and  at  once  they  sprang  with  outstretched 
arms  and  legs,  kept  in  this  position  until  witliin  about 
twenty -five  feet  of  the  bottom,  when  they  suddenly  straight- 
ened themselves,  plunging  feet  foremost  into  the  water,  and 
soon  reappeared,  swinnning  on  its  surface.  They  speedily 
reached  the  top  by  an  underground  passage  and  demanded 
their  pay,  and  would  not  have  been  satisfied  if  we  had 
given  them  ten  times  the  usual  amount.  But  it  is  their 
only  means  of  support,  and  they  have  followed  plunging 
into  the  same  well  from  their  childhood,  and  their  fathers 
before  them  for  many  generations,  and  perhaps  for  centu- 
ries. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  the  wilderness  of  ruined 


DELHI. 


317 


cities,  of  magnificent  tombs  and  mosques  that  lie  between 
Delhi  and  the  Kootub-Minar ;  nor  the  ruins  of  the  grand 
Astronomical  Observatory  of  Jay  Singh,  the  scientific  Ra- 
jah of  Jeypore,  who  erected  the  complete  observatory  at 
Benares.  It  is  on  the  same  grand  scale  on  which  these 
wealthy  nabobs  and  emperors  wrought  all  their  works. 
The  dimensions  of  the  gnomon  of  the  equatorial  dial  as  it 
now  stands  give  an  idea  of  its  extent,  the  hypothenuse  be- 
ing 118  feet,  and  the  perpendicular  56  feet. 

The  English  government  has  done  much  since  the  mu- 
tiny for  the  improvement  of  Delhi.  The  Queen's  Gar- 
dens, in  the  midst  of  the  town,  are  laid  out  with  great 
taste,  and  carefully  cultivated.  A  collection  of  li\'ing  ani- 
mals and  birds,  and  other  specimens  in  natural  history, 
adds  to  the  attractions  of  the  park.  A  large  ornamental 
building  for  public  and  scientific  uses  has  been  erected  on 
the  Chandnee  Chowk,  called  the  Institute.  In  its  large 
municipal  hall  we  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  several  of 
the  native  princes.  For  these  improvements  the  Mogul 
capital  is  under  many  obligations  to  the  Rev.  James  Smith, 
an  English  Baptist  missionary,  who  has  also  held  a  commis- 
sion under  the  government  for  promoting  the  scientific  ad- 
vancement of  the  native  population.  A  costly  memorial 
church  has  been  erected  to  commemorate  those  who  fell 
in  the  terrible  mutiny,  which  burst  upon  this  city  with  ter- 
rific force  at  its  very  beginning.  The  revolt  commenced 
at  Meerut,  forty  miles  distant,  and  after  the  massacre  of 
Europeans,  men,  women,  and  children,  at  that  place,  the  Se- 
poys set  out  in  a  body  for  Delhi,  where  the  native  troops 
joined  them,  and  commenced  the  slaughter  of  their  offi- 
cers. The  magazine,  which  contained  an  eiiormous  supply 
of  guns,  powder,  and  warlike  stores,  was  in  charge  of  Lieu- 
tenant Willoughby.  Seeing  the  state  of  affairs,  he  closed 
and  barricaded  the  gates,,  and  then,  laying  a  train  of  gun- 
powder, prepared  to  blow  up  the  arsenal  should  resistance 
prove  unavailing.  Nine  Europeans  kept  thousands  of  Se- 
poys at  bay  until  at  length  they  were  exhausted  and  like- 


318  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

ly  to  be  overpowered,  wlien  the  match  was  applied,  and 
more  tlian  a  thousand  mutineers  were  blown  into  the  air. 
All  the  Europeans  in  the  city  who  had  not  made  their 
escape  on  the  appearance  of  the  Sepoys  were  massacred. 
The  English  families  were  tied  in  rows,  and  shot  and  sa- 
bred without  mercy.  The  assassinations  were  accompanied 
by  horrid  atrocities.  Others,  who  escaped — tender  women 
and  helpless  children — wandered  for  days  under  the  burn- 
ing sun,  lying  down  at  nights  in  the  jungle.  Delhi  fell 
completely  into  the  hands  of  the  mutineers,  but  its  recap- 
tm'e  was  one  of  the  most  heroic  achievements  of  the  recov- 
ery of  British  power  in  India. 

While  at  Delhi  I  had  occasion  to  send  homeAvard  letters 
of  some  importance,  and  not  being  disposed  to  trust  them 
to  the  uncertainties  of  the  nati\'e  servants  at  the  hotel,  I 
determined  to  deposit  them  with  my  own  hands  in  the 
post.  It  afforded  a  new  occasion  for  admiration  of  an  in- 
stitution the  marvels  of  which  seem  to  be  forgotten  in  the 
newer  and  greater  marvel  of  the  telegraph.  I  never  cease 
to  wonder  at  the  thought  that  one  can  go  into  almost  any 
remote  corner  of  the  earth,  and  write  his  thoughts  on  a 
slip  of  paper,  and  drop  it  into  a  little  box,  even  in  the  dead 
of  night,  when  every  one  else  is  asleep,  and  that  with  all 
the  speed  of  steam  the  identical  slip  of  paper  will  travel 
over  land  and  sea,  and  search  out  the  friend  to  whom  it 
is  addressed,  no  matter  in  what  other  corner  of  the  earth 
he  may  dwell,  and  deliver  the  certified  message.  AVith 
the  telegraph  different  and  even  remote  countries  are  act- 
uallv  bound  too-ether,  and  althoufrh  thousands  of  miles  in- 
tervene,  you  may,  by  means  of  a  wire,  hold  by  the  button 
the  one  to  whom  you  are  speaking.  The  wire  is  an  abso- 
lute link.  But  the  postal  service  depends  upon  detached 
messengers,  who  must  traverse  sea  and  land,  and  seldom 
do  they  fail  to  execute  their  commission.  I  do  not  know 
that  I  have  ever  failed  to  receive  a  letter  out  of  the  num- 
bers that  have  been  addressed  to  me  in  all  foreign  parts, 
or  that  any  one  that  I  have  sent  has  failed  to  reach  its  des- 


DELHI.  319 

tination.  Some  of  the  former  have  been  great  travelers. 
Several  that  were  addressed  to  me  from  home  while  I  was 
in  India,  through  the  sagacity  of  Xew  York  clerks  were 
sent  by  the  way  of  China,  and  arrived  in  the  north  of  In- 
dia after  I  had  left  the  country ;  but  they  traveled  on, 
hoping  to  reach  me  at  Cairo,  where  they  made  another  halt 
and  search,  and  then  came  on  to  Constantinople,  where 
they  overtook  me  precisely  five  months  after  they  had 
started  upon  their  travels. 

Inquiring  at  the  hotel  at  Delhi  the  way  to  the  post-of- 
fice, I  was  told  it  was  a  short  distance  beyond  the  fort.  I 
traveled  onward  and  onward  until  I  almost  despaired  of 
reaching  the  place.  At  length,  after  various  inquiries  of 
natives  of  all  Oriental  regions,  made  chiefly  by  holding  up 
my  letters,  I  was  directed  to  a  back  alley,  which  I  found 
led  to  an  old  temple,  or  mosque,  or  something  of  the  sort, 
and  this  was  the  Delhi  post-office.  A  Eurasian  who  spoke 
English  was  in  charge,  and  seemed  to  be  the  only  living 
being  within  the  premises.  At  the  window  I  asked  for 
stamps,  and  was  directed  to  a  sleepy  Mohammedan  who 
was  lying  on  the  pavement  outside,  and  who  was  any  thing 
but  a  promising  looking  dealer  in  government  securities. 
When  I  made  known  what  I  wanted,  he  drew  from  the 
folds  of  his  loose  garment  a  muslin  bag,  from  which  he 
produced  the  requisite  amount  of  stamps,  as  suspicious  in 
appearance  as  the  dealer  himself,  but  I  paid  for  them,  and, 
affixing  them  to  the  letters,  again  presented  them  at  the 
window.  Tlie  Eurasian  advised  me  to  cancel  them  my- 
self, adding  that  if  I  did  not  some  one  in  the  office  might 
remove  them  from  the  letters  and  sell  them  again.  Tlieir 
appearance  indicated  that  they  had  gone  through  this  op- 
eration several  times  already.  It  was  a  new  idea  to  me, 
that  of  canceling  my  own  stamps  befoi*e  mailing  my  letters, 
but  I  complied,  and  then  dropped  them  into  the  box,  having 
little  faith  in  their  ever  seeing  America.  I  learned  after- 
ward that  they  were  all  received  in  due  time,  and  in  good 
condition,  and  I  have  now  more  faith  than  ever  in  inter- 


320  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

national  posts.  This  is  rather  a  long  story  about  what  some 
may  think  a  small  matter,  but  those  who  have  been  10,000 
miles  or  more  from  home  do  not  esteem  it  a  small  matter 
that  by  international  arrangement  they  may  hold  direct  and 
free  communication  with  those  they  have  left  behind,  and 
the  motto  wliich  I  have  elsewhere  recorded  as  found  graven 
over  the  arch  of  the  post-office  at  Hong  Kong  will  recur  as 
among  the  expressive  sentiments  of  inspired  wisdom :  "  As 
cold  waters  to  a  thirsty  soul,  so  is  good  news  from  a  far 
country." 


XXIII. 

AMONG  THE  HIMALAYAS. 


At  Delhi  we  were  more  than  a  thousand  miles  from  Cal- 
cutta, but  we  had  not  yet  reached  the  northern  limit  of  our 
journeying  in  Hindostan.  We  were  bound  for  the  Hima- 
layas, and  in  some  doubt  whether  to  return  by  the  route 
we  had  taken,  or  to  go  up  to  the  Indus,  make  our  way  to 
the  sea  by  that  river,  and  so  down  to  Bombay.  The  weather 
having  become  sufficiently  cool  to  travel  with  comfort  by 
day,  we  took  the  cars  at  11  o'clock.  In  the  afternoon  we 
passed  Meerut,  an  important  military  station,  and  memora- 
ble as  the  scene  of  the  first  outbreak  of  the  mutiny. 

Just  at  evening  we  reached  Saharunpnr,  where  we  left 
the  rail  to  make  an  excursion  of  a  few  days  among  the 
Himalaya  Mountains.  This  town  is  pleasantly  situated  on 
the  great  plain  of  India.  It  was  one  of  the  earliest  sta- 
tions of  the  American  Presbyterian  Mission,  and  is  occupied 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Calderwood,  who  met  us  at  the  cars,  and 
who,  with  his  family,  made  our  short  sojourn  one  of  great 
pleasure.  An  interesting  incident  connected  with  our  visit 
was  the  close  of  the  examination  of  the  mission  school,  and 
I  regarded  it  as  a  peculiar  pleasure  to  be  invited  to  distrib- 


AMONG  THE  HUIALA  YAS.  321 

ute  the  prizes  to  a  large  number  of  native  youth,  two  of 
whom  bore  the  famihar  names  of  Alexander  McLeod  and 
James  T.  Wylie. 

Saharunpur  is  a  military  station,  and  is  the  location  of 
the  government  stud.  The  horses  of  the  country  are  mis- 
erable specimens  of  their  race,  and  it  became  a  matter  of 
necessity  to  the  military  service  to  establisli  on  a  large 
scale  a  depot  where  they  could  be  reared  from  better  stock 
and  for  hardy  service.  The  stalls  were  nqt  full,  but  we 
found  nearly  two  thousand  horses  occupying  quarters  al- 
most fit  for  the  officers  of  an  army,  and  altogether  superior 
to  the  cantonments  w^hich  soldiers  often  consider  very  de- 
sirable. The  horses,  when  old  enough  for  service,  are  found 
to  have  cost  the  government  from  one  to  two  thousand 
rupees  each,  and  those  of  Arabian  blood  from  two  to  five 
thousand  rupees.  Some  of  the  Arabians  were  splendid  an- 
imals. We  soon  had  an  opportunity  to  contrast  them  with 
the  natives  of  the  country  bred  in  the  usual  way. 

Having  made  arrangements  to  cross  the  Sewalic  range 
of  the  Himalayas  from  this  point,  we  left  Saharunpuf  in 
the  morning  in  what  the  natives  called  an  omnihucJi'us,  but 
it  bore  in  plain  English  on  one  of  the  panels  the  following 
notice :  "  Omnibus  No.  1,  Gunquaram,  Head  oflice  Meerut, 
LicensedatSeharunpur,  10  June  1S69,  tocarry  5  passengers, 
with  62  lbs  luggage,  Drawnbytwohorses."  The  two  horses 
were  comparatively  decent  animals,  and  we  congratulated 
ourselves  that  if  we  had  not  found  real  Arabian  steeds,  we 
had  at  least  fallen  upon  tolerable  specimens  of  the  Indian 
race.  But  we  learned  to  our  sorrow  that  they  were  intend- 
ed only  for  show,  designed  to  entrap  unwary  travelers  by 
making  a  good  appearance  on  leaving  town,  on  the  princi- 
ple upon  which  strictly  honest  fruit-dealers  inevitably  place 
the  finest  specimens  at  the  top  of  the  basket.  The  road,  on 
starting,  was  as  level  as  a  railway  track,  well  metaled,  and 
shaded  on  either  side  with  bamboo,  cassia,  and  other  trees. 
With  our  gallant  steeds  we  were  promising  ourselves  a  tri- 
umphant passage  over  the  mountains,  but.  just  as  we  were 

X 


322  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

in  the  full  tide  of  expectation,  only  three  or  four  miles  out 
of  town,  we  suddenly  hauled  up  at  a  post-station,  and  two 
miserable  rats  were  put  into  the  carriage.  The  word  of 
command  was  given,  and  the  whip  duly  applied,  but  the 
more  the  persuasive  arguments  were  used,  the  more  they 
would  not  start,  excepting  backward.  One  of  them  insisted 
again  and  again  on  putting  his  heels  into  the  front  of  the 
omnibuckus,  and  the  other  persisted  in  attempting  to  stand 
erect  on  his  hind  heels.  And  these  were  a  fair  type  of  the 
horses  that  we  took  in  at  every  station  on  the  way,  except- 
ing that  some  of  them  were  even  worse. 

The  East  India  Company  built  one  of  its  finest  roads 
over  this  pass,  in  order  to  reach  the  Dehra  Yalley  and 
ascend  the  mountains  to  the  summer  resorts  of  Mussoorie 
and  Landour.  It  is  as  skillfully  engineered  and  as  sub- 
stantially built  as  the  roads  over  the  passes  of  the  Alps, 
and  decidedly  smoother.  The  summit  is  pierced  by  a  tun- 
nel reducing  the  extreme  elevation.  Long  before  reaching 
the  summit,  and  when  we  were  approaching  the  more  diffi- 
cult and  dangerous  parts  of  the  pass,  the  horses  were  de- 
tached, and  sixteen  coolies  took  the  carriage  in  charge,  and 
drew  us  over  and  down  the  descent  on  the  other  side,  a 
distance  of  eight  or  ten  miles.  We  were  accustomed  to 
being  carried  by  coolies  in  sedan  chairs  in  Japan  and  China 
as  well  as  in  India,  but  not  to  using  them  as  horses,  and, 
had  there  been  any  other  way  of  crossing  the  mountains, 
we  should  have  demurred ;  but  there  was  no  other  (I  had 
the  offer  of  elephants  on  the  return),  and  then  these  coolies 
have  no  other  means  of  making  a  living.  It  is  the  business 
which  they  and  their  fathers  have  followed.  They  would 
lose  caste,  and  lose  all  means  of  a  livelihood  if  they  should 
attempt  any  thing  else,  so  that  to  employ  them  was  a  mer- 
cy and  not  a  degradation.  Besides,  we  remembered  that 
when  some  distinguished  dancer  or  singer  visits  the  me- 
tropolis of  our  own  country,  or  any  of  the  gay  capitals  of 
Europe,  it  is  not  uncommon  for  young  gentlemen  of  the 
highest  breeding  to  aspire  to  the  level  of  beasts  of  burden. 


AMONG  THE  HIMALAYAS.  323 

and,  taking  the  horses  from  the  carriage  of  the  danseuse  or 
cantatrice,  to  harness  themselves  like  donkey's  and  drag  her 
to  her  hotel.  With  these  precedents  in  mind,  we  quieted 
our  scruples  in  regard  to  being  drawn  by  coolies  over  the 
Himalaya  Mountains. 

In  going  through  the  pass  we  came  upon  a  splendid, 
full-grown  leopard  that  had  just  been  caught  in  a  trap,  and 
were  in  the  region  of  wild  beasts  of  all  kinds.  A  gentle- 
man whom  we  met  had  seen,  not  long  before,  a  huge  wild 
elephant  cross  the  highway  on  which  we  were  traveling, 
and,  in  ascending  the  second  range  of  the  mountains  the 
following  day,  we  frequently  saw  around  us  the  fresh 
tracks  of  leopards  in  the  snow.  India,  considering  the 
density  of  its  population,  is  marvelously  infested  with  wild 
beasts,  and  not  merely  in  the  mountainous  regions,  but  in 
the  jungles  of  the  plain.  The  government  has  made  great 
efforts  to  exterminate  them,  but  without  any  apparent  im- 
pression upon  their  numbers.  One  reason  for  this  want  of 
success  is  that  the  natives  regard  the  wild  beasts — man-eat- 
ing tigers  in  particular — as  divinities,  whose  wrath  it  is 
more  safe  to  appease  than  to  arouse,  and  accordingly  they 
will  not  hunt  or  kill  them  even  when  exposed  to  their  rav- 


ages.* 


Tiger-hunting  is  still  a  favorite  sport  in  many  parts  of 
India,  and  it  is  not  uncommon  for  an  ordinary  party  to 
bag  half  a  dozen  tigers  in  a  single  excursion.  At  Calcutta 
I  met  an  American  gentleman  who  had  shot  five  the  sum- 
mer previous. 

Since  leaving  India,  I  have  received  from  Dr.  Fayrer,  of 

*  "In  the  Chanda  district,  one  of  these  man-eaters  killed,  in  a  short  time, 
127  persons,  and  stopped  all  traffic  for  many  weeks  on  the  road.  Another 
slew  1 50  people  in  three  years,  causing  the  abandonment  of  the  villages,  and 
throwing  250  square  miles  out  of  cultivation.  During  six  years,  in  Bengal 
proper,  13,401  deaths  were  reported  by  wild  beasts,  of  which  4218  were 
ascribed  to  tigers,  4287  to  wolves,  1407  to  leopards,  and  105  to  bears;  the 
rest  to  other  animals.  The  British  government,  on  the  oth?r  hand,  paid  in 
the  same  time  $32,500  in  rewards  to  secure  the  destraction  of  18,196  wild 
animals.  As  much  as  $500  has  been  offered  for  the  head  of  a  man-eating 
tiger." — Indian  Mail. 


324 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Calcutta,  who  accompanied  the  Duke  of  Edmburg  (Prince 
Alfred  of  England)  on  his  tour  in  the  north  of  India,  the 
following  account  of  a  tiger -hunt  with  elephants  in  the 
vicinity  of  Lucknow : 

'■'■February  23(7.  The  camp  is  situated  just  on  the  river 
bank,  and  the  exact  spot  is  known  as  Kullean  Ghaut.  The 
narrow  stream  divides  the  British  territory  from  that  of  Ne- 
paid,  the  tract  of  country  on  the  opposite  side  having  been 
given  over  to  the  Nepalese  since  the  mutiny.  It  contains 
the  finest  forest  land  in  India.  The  gift  was  probably  more 
valuable  than  it  was  at  the  time  supposed  to  be.  The  royal 
standard  of  Britain  is  hoisted  on  one  side,  while  that  of  the 
prime  minister,  the  virtual  ruler  of  Nepaul,  is  on  the  other. 
The  Mohan  abounds  with  alligators  and  gurrials.  Ou  the 
22d  one  of  Sir  Jung's  men  was  carried  ofi'  and  eaten  by  an 
alligator  when  bathing  in  the  river. 

"Fourteen  years  ago  this  used  to  be  a  splendid  hunting- 
ground.  It  is  said  to  be  so  still,  notwithstanding  the  en- 
croachments of  civilization  and  cultivation.  A  tiger  has  al- 
ready been  heard  of,  and  after  breakfast  he  is  to  be  sought 
for.  Sir  Jung  Bahadoor  is  to  cross  the  river  to  meet  H.  R.  H. 
in  British  territory  after  breakfast,  and  will  accompany  him 
throughout  the  day.  The  weather  is  getting  warm,  fleecy 
clouds  obscure  the  sun,  but  diifuse  rather  than  intercept  its 
rays.     Sir  Jung's  camp  resounds  with  barbaric  music. 

"After  breakfast  the  Nepalese  minister  crossed  the  river 
on  a  bridge  thrown  over  for  .the  occasion,  and  rode  up  to  H. 
R.  H.'s  camp.  He  was  preceded  by  his  body-guard  and  a 
band  of  music.  H.  R.  H.  and  suite  received  Sir  Jung,  with 
Colonel  LaAvrence,  the  political  agent,  Colonel  Thomson,  the 
commissioner  of  Seetapoi'e,  Captain  Young,  settlement  ofii- 
cer,  and  eight  of  his  principal  sirdars,  nearly  all  colonels,  who 
were  presented  to  the  duke.  The  maharajah,  who  is  a  slight, 
active,  and  wiry-looking  man  of  about  fifty-three,  with  fair 
Mongolian  features,  was  dressed  in  a  military  uniform,  and 
was  decorated  with  the  Grand  Cross  of  the  Bath.  His  head- 
dress was  made  of  the  most  costly  jewels,  said  to  be  worth 
about  £15,000.  The  visit  lasted  only  a  few  minutes,  and 
shortly  after  H.  R.  H.  got  into  the  howdah,  and,  crossing  the 
river,  was  joined  by  the  Maharajah  Sir  Jung  Bahadoor  in  a 
plain  blue  cotton  shooting-dress,  with  a  broad  sola  hat,  and 
the  Maharajah  Sir  Digbija  Singh,  G.C.  S.I.,of  Bulrampore,  in 
a  dress  very  like  it,  only  colored  green.     The  combined  party, 


AMOXG  THE  HIMALAYAS.  ■  325 

with  a  line  of  above  four  hundred  elepliants — one  hundred  and 
thirty  belonging  to  H.  K.  H.'s  camp — proceeded  in  the  direc- 
tion of  an  extensive  grass  and  tree  jungle,  where  the  tiger  had 
been  marked  down,  and  where,  during  the  last  few  days,  he 
had  killed  several  buflaloes.  On  the  way  some  small  game  was 
shot,  but  on  approaching  the  vicinity  of  the  tiger's  abode  all 
firing  ceased,  and  arrangements  were  made  by  Sir  Jung  for 
surrounding  the  brute.  After  beating  in  a  long  line  through 
a  belt  of  sal  forest,  skirting  the  long  grass,  the  line  was  gradu- 
ally formed  into  a  circle,  and  the  elephants  were  brought  so 
close  as  to  touch  each  other.  It  certainly  was  a  magnificent 
sight,  and  one  seldom  witnessed.  They  were  all  thoroughly 
trained  and  stanch,  as  the  result  proved  when  the  tigi;r  tried 
in  vain  to  break  the  line,  or  rather  circle.  The  incloiure  be- 
ing complete,  H.  R.  H.  on  the  same  howdah,  a  large  square 
one,  \x\t\\  Sir  Jung  Bahadoor,  went  into  the  circle,  and  the 
tiger  soon  revealed  himself,  although  the  grass  was  as  high 
as  the  howdah,  with  occasional  vacant  places.  He  was  fired 
at  by  the  duke  alone,  as  all  the  rest  of  the  party  were  re- 
quested not  to  fire  unless  the  tiger  got  on  any  elephant's 
head.  H.  R.  H.  wounded  him  severely,  and  he  made  sev- 
eral charges  round  the  line,  but  the  elephants  stood  firm, 
and  he  could  not  get  out,  though  he  tried  hard  to  break 
through.  He  fell  at  about  the  third  shot  from  the  duke's 
rifle,  and  then  the  whole  circle  closed  in  on  him.  He  was 
soon  padded,  and  proved  to  be  a  fine  male  tiger  ten  feet  one 
inch  in  length,  and  very  heavy. 

"  It  was  a  most  exciting  scene ;  the  wildness  of  the  place, 
the  magnificent  line  of  elephants,  and  the  steadiness  with 
which  they  and  their  mahouts  carried  out  the  orders  of  the 
maharajah,  were  remarkable,  and  all  were  much  pleased,  none 
more  so  than  H.  R.  H.,  with  the  sport ;  though  perhaps,  in  a 
strictly  sporting  sense,  the  tiger  may  be  considered  to  have 
been  rather  hardly  used.  The  Nepalese  elephants  are  well 
trained,  and  are  so  frequently  employed  by  Sir  Jung  in  tiger- 
shooting  and  elephant-hunting  that  they  can  not  be  surpass- 
ed. They  are  worked  in  line  by  the  bugle  calls,  and  are 
taught  to  go  at  a  pace  that  no  other  elephants  can  equal. 
The  maharajah  is  a  great  sportsman,  and  spends  a  considera- 
ble part  of  each  year  in  the  Terai.  After  padding  the  tiger 
the  party  moved  on  the  line,  and  general  shooting  com- 
menced. The  party  returned  to  camp  in  the  evening,  after 
an  excellent  day's  sport  on  the  banks  of  the  Mohan  with 
a  bag  of  about  twenty  deer,  one  tiger,  and  a  quantity  of 
partridges,  hares,  pea,  and  jungle  fowl.     In   returning  to 


326  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

camp  just  before  dark  an  accident  occurred,  which  was  at- 
tended with  very  serious  consequences  to  a  mahout,  and  in 
which  two  persons  in  the  howdah  had  a  very  narrow  escape. 
An  old  but  very  famous  elephant  made  a  false  step,  and,  be- 
ing weak,  fell  over  against  a  tree  and  crushed  the  howdah. 
The  native  gentlemen  jumped  out,  while  the  mahout,  an  old 
man  who,  at  the  time,  was  not  on  the  elephant's  neck,  but 
was  trying  to  drag  the  howdah  over  to  one  side,  as  it  had 
become  crooked,  was  crushed  between  the  howdah  and  the 
tree,  and  sustained  a  very  serious  injury  to  the  left  hand. 
The  wound  was  temporarily  dressed,  and  he  was  taken  into 
camp,  where  it  was  found  necessary  to  amputate  part  of  the 
hand.  But  for  this  unfortunate  accident  the  day  had  been  a 
most  st.ccessful  one.  The  weather  was  fine,  a  moderate 
breeze  tempered  the  heat,  and  the  wild  scenery  of  the  for- 
ests, the  grassy  plains  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  which  are 
themselves  very  picturesque,  with  the  ever-varying  interest 
of  the  working  of  the  magnificent  line  of  elephants,  made  up 
a  scene  that  has  seldom  been  equaled. 

'■'■February  2ith.  Before  leaving  camp  this  morning  a  cam- 
el-man of  the  maharajah's  was  brought  in  with  a  rather  se- 
vere wound  in  the  left  thigh,  just  above  the  knee.  He  was 
wading  across  the  Mohan,  which  there  was  not  up  to  his 
hips,  when  he  was  suddenly  seized  by  a  large  gurrial,  and 
dragged  down.  Some  Sepoys  who  were  close  at  hand  rush- 
ed to  the  rescue,  and  one  of  them  so  severely  wounded  the 
great  lizard  that  it  let  go  and  tried  to  make  its  escape ;  he 
followed,  thrusting  his  bayonet  into  it,  and  having  fired  all 
his  (six)  cartridges,  he  clubbed  his  musket  and  belabored  it 
until  the  stock  was  broken.  The  brute  by  this  time  was  so 
far  hors  de  combat  that  it  turned  over  as  though  dead,  and 
was  dragged  on  shore,  and  brought  into  camp  with  the  man 
it  had  bitten.  Fortunately  the  grip  had  not  been  very  firm, 
and  a  portion  of  integument  only,  about  five  inches  in  cir- 
cumference, had  been  torn  away,  leaving  a  painful  and  tedi- 
ous, though  not  a  dangerous  wound.  The  gurrial  was  an 
enormous  brute  over  sixteen  feet  in  length.  He  was  opened, 
and  his  stomach  found  quite  empty,  with  the  exception  of 
about  twenty  or  thirty  pebbles,  from  the  size  of  peas  or  mar- 
bles to  a  hen's  eggs.  These  are  useful  for  purposes  of  diges- 
tion, and  are  probably  always  found  in  the  stomachs  of  these 
Saurians.  This  incident  quite  settles  the  question  as  to 
whether  the  gurrial  does  take  other  food  than  fish,  although, 
from  the  conformation  of  his  jaws,  he  is  not  able  to  seize  so 
large  a  morsel,  or  inflict  so  great  a  wound  as  the  alligator." 


AMONG  THE  HIMALAYAS.  327 

But  the  wild  elephants,  tigers,  leopards,  wolves,  etc.,  for- 
midable and  destructive  as  they  are,  may  be  regarded  as 
rather  ornamental  than  otherwise  in  comparison  with  the 
lesser  vermin  which  swarm  over  the  whole  country  daring 
the  rainy  and  hot  seasons.  Of  these  the  most  dreaded  and 
the  most  deadly  are  the  snakes,  from  the  hooded  cobra, 
which  sometimes  attains  the  length  of  ten  feet,  down  to 
the  innumerable  venomous  snakes  no  larger  than  a  riding- 
whip.  It  is  stated  on  good  authority  that  in  the  year  1869 
there  were  11,416  deaths  from  the  bites  of  snakes  in  the 
single  province  of  Bengal.  From  actual  statistics,  it  has 
been  estimated  that  in  all  India  there  are  from  20,000  to 
40,000  deaths  from  the  same  cause  every  year.  The  snakes 
Hve  and  multiply  not  only  in  the  jungle  and  open  country, 
but  in  the  villages  and  cities.  They  come  into  the  grounds 
and  houses  of  all  classes ;  they  make  their  homes  in  the 
thatch  and  drop  down  from  the  rafters;  they  creep  into 
the  beds ;  they  lie  around  among  the  kitchen  utensils,  and 
even  ensconce  themselves  in  the  parlors.  I  heard  manj^ 
thrilling  narratives  of  adventures  with  these  unwelcome 
visitors.  The  smaller  vermin  are  still  more  ubiquitous,  and 
a  still  greater  annoyance.  Scorpions  and  centipedes  are 
abundant,  and  every  where  dreaded.  The  white  ants  move 
in  armies,  and  are  terribl}^  destructive.  Scarcely  any  thing 
in  the  shape  of  furniture  or  clothing  escapes  their  rav- 
ages, and  their  tastes  are  decidedly  literary.  They  will  go 
through  an  entire  library  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of 
time,  leaving  nothing  to  be  perused  by  those  who  come 
after  them.  If  a  book  is  carelessly  left  within  their  reach, 
the  form  of  it  may  be  found,  but  the  entire  contents  has 
been  devoured. 

The  day  was  all  spent  and  the  night  had  overtaken  us 
before  we  had  completed  the  descent  of  the  mountain. 
For  hours  we  rode  on  in  the  darkness,  until  late  in  the 
evening  of  the  last  day  of  the  year  1869  we  alighted  at  the 
home  of  the  Eev.  Mr.  Woodside,  in  the  charming  valley  of 
the  Dehra  Doon.     This  valley  is  one  of  the  gardens  of  In- 


« 


328  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

dia,  a  vale  of  Cashmere  transferred  a  little  to  the  south. 
Sheltered  on  all  sides  by  the  Himalayas,  which  stretch 
themselves  four  and  five  miles  into  the  skies,  it  has  all  the 
year  round  a  genial  climate  (if  the  intense  heat  of  the  sum- 
mers can  be  called  genial),  the  trees  of  all  climes,  the  plants 
of  the  tropics,  and  the  fruits  of  the  north  growing  side  by 
side.  The  bamboo  flourishes  with  great  luxuriance,  and 
the  palm  rears  its  stately  crown.  Extensive  tea  plantations 
occupy  the  plain. 

It  was  a  joy  which  no  words  can  express  to  meet  in  this 
lonely  but  lovely  valley,  in  the  very  heart  of  Asia,  Ameri- 
can families  at  home,  and  to  have  these  homes  opened  to 
us  with  as  much  cordiality  as  if  we  had  been  their  nearest 
kindred.  The  days  that  we  spent  there  were  all  red-letter 
days,  and  when  at  length  we  were  compelled  to  say  fare- 
well, it  seemed  more  like  taking  a  new  departure  from 
home  than  going  homeward. 


XXIV. 

ON  THE  HIMALAYAS- 


It  was  well  into  the  new  year  before  we  could  say  good- 
night or  think  of  rest,  but  we  were  to  be  np  and  on  the 
wing  before  the  morning  light.  In  anticipation  of  onr  ar- 
rival at  Dehra,  Mr.Woodside  and  Mr.  Herron,  of  the  Ameri- 
can Mission,  had  arranged  an  excursion  to  the  sanitary  cities 
of  Mussoorie  and  Landour,  perched  npon  the  very  top  of 
the  second  range  of  the  Himalayas,  between  seven  and 
eight  thousand  feet  high.  They  are  crowded  during  the 
heat  of  summer,  being  a  delightfully  cool  resort  from  the 
plains  below,  and,  indeed,  from  all  parts  of  Hindostan,  but 
in  the  winter,  when  we  made  the  ascent,  they  were  deserted. 
Simlah,  to  which  the  governor  general  moves  his  court  in 
the  summer,  is  a  hundred  miles  farther  north. 


ON  THE  HIMALA  TAS.  329 

We  rose  long  before  the  sun  to  greet  the  opening  year, 
A  drive  of  five  or  six  miles  across  the  valley,  through  a 
charming  country,  brought  us  to  Kajpore,  where  the  ar- 
rangements for  ascendino;  the  mountain  were  to  be  made. 
One  of  our  number,  too  feeble  to  endure  the  day's  ride,  was 
taken  up  in  &  jhanpaji,  a  sort  of  sedan  chair,  the  rest  mak- 
ing the  ascent  on  horseback.  The  cities  are  in  full  sight 
from  the  plain  below,  and  show  themselves  at  different 
points  during  the  ascent,  but  we  were  long  in  reaching 
them.  Slowly  we  toiled  upward,  encouraged  by  an  occa- 
sional glimpse  of  the  summit,  and  often  repaid  for  our  toil 
by  the  views  of  the  Dehra  valley,  until  at  length  we  reached 
a  point  where  the  Sewalic  range  that  we  had  crossed  the 
day  before  sank  so  low  that  we  could  look  over  upon  the 
great  plain  beyond.  The  road  passed  deep  precipices,  over 
one  of  which  the  wife  of  an  English  officer,  the  year  before, 
had  gone  down  several  hundred  feet  and  was  instantly 
killed.  Troops  of  monkeys,  looking  old  and  wise  enough 
to  be  the  ancestors  of  Darwin,  sat  grinning  at  us  from  the 
trees.  Wild  peacocks,  with  plumage  as  gay  as  the  domes- 
tic bird,  are  abundant  on  the  mountain,  where  they  are  shot 
as  o;ame.  We  had  dined  on  them  two  or  three  davs  be- 
fore.  At  length  we  reached  Mussoorie,  and,  passing  through 
it,  were  soon  at  Landour,  which  is  on  the  very  crest  of  the 
mountain.  I  could  not  but  marvel  at  the  boldness  of  the 
man  who  first  conceived  the  idea  of  building  a  tOA\Ti  upon 
this  lofty  ridge.  There  is  not  half  an  acre  of  level  ground 
any  where  to  be  found.  It  is  a  simple  line  of  peaks,  with 
here  and  there  a  spot  on  which  an  eagle  might  build  his 
nest.  It  may  be  a  hundred  feet  down  to  the  next  eyrie, 
but  every  rock  on  which  a  house  could  be  fastened  has 
been  seized  upon,  until  towns  of  considerable  extent  have 
grown  up.  It  is  a  place  of  great  attractiveness  to  those 
who  are  suffering  from  the  scorching  heat  of  the  plain,  but 
all  the  while  that  I  was  on  the  mountain  I  was  haunted 
with  the  thought  that  if  I  were  to  spend  the  night  in  any 
one  of  these  numerous  homes,  I  might,  simply  by  stepping 


A  GOBOE  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS. 


ON  THE  HIMALA  YAS.  33^ 

out  of  bed,  plunge  thousands  of  feet  down  the  mountain 
sides.  The  elevation  is  nearly  three  times  that  of  the  Cats- 
kill  Mountain  House,  and  it  appears  as  if  one  might  almost 
step  into  the  Dehra  Doon. 

I  can  scarcely  attempt  to  describe  the  magnificent  views 
afforded  at  this  elevation.  On  one  side  lies  the  Dehra 
Doon,  one  of  the  fairest  vallevs  in  all  the  East,  smilinsf  in 
its  verdure  and  foliage,  although  it  was  now  midwinter. 
Farther  on  is  the  Sewalic  rano-e  of  tlie  Himalavas,  and  still 
farther,  in  full  view,  the  great  plain  of  India,  fifteen  hun- 
dred miles  in  extent.  On  the  opposite  side,  toward  the 
northeast,  peak  after  peak  of  the  snowy  range,  stretching 
out  into  Thibet  and  Cashmere,  lifts  its  snow;)-  head  into  the 
clouds.  One  of  these,  separated  by  a  narrow  valley  fi'om 
the  point  on  which  we  stood,  measures  22,330  feet.  An- 
other, in  the  distance,  is  25,700  feet  high ;  and  still  another. 
Mount  Everest,  reckoned  the  loftiest  point  on  the  surface 
of  the  globe,  is  29,000  feet  by  barometrical  measurement. 
Several  of  these  peaks  have  been  ascended  by  adventurers 
and  scientific  parties,  b^t  we  did  not  attempt  to  go  so  far 
into  the  clouds,  among  the  everlasting  snows.  We  were 
very  hospitably  entertained  at  Landour  by  Dr.  Ivellett,  the 
British  surgeon,  who  had  made  preparation  to  receive  us, 
and  we  left  with  him  a  pressing  invitation  to  return  our 
call  on  the  next  New- Year's  day  in  New  York. 

Reti'acing  our  way  down  the  mountain  sides,  we  were 
overtaken  by  the  darkness  of  night,  and  passed  the  last 
hour  or  two  in  no  little  apprehension  of  the  precipices 
which  invited  us  below.  But  we  reached  our  home  at  Deh- 
ra in  safety,  having  met  with  no  misadventure  in  this  de- 
lightful and  ever-memorable  excursion  to  the  top  of  the 
globe. 

The  following  day,  which  was  the  day  of  rest,  we  spent 
in  this  peaceful  valley,  greatly  enjoying  communion  with 
the  happy  circle  of  Americans  whose  hearts  are  drawn 
closely  together  in  this  far-away  part  of  the  earth,  and  who 
became  very  near  to  us  before  we  parted  with  them.     In 


332  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

the  morning  I  heard  a  sound  which  transported  me  home- 
ward. As  it  fell  upon  my  ear,  the  tone  was  so  familiar 
that  I  exclaimed,  "  That  is  one  of  Meneely's  bells ;"  and  so 
it  proved.  It  had  crossed  the  ocean,  and  crossed  the  plains 
of  India,  and  crossed  the  Himalaya  Mountains  before  ns, 
and  there,  in  the  heart  of  Asia,  it  was  calling  a  congreo-a- 
tion  of  native  Christians  to  the  house  of  God.  We  w^or- 
shiped  with  the  natives  in  their  own  tongue  a  part  of  the 
day,  and  in  the  evening,  at  an  English  service,  I  spoke  some 
words  of  Christian  encouragement  to  the  Americans  and 
others  to  whom  om-  tongue  is  familiar,  and  so  we  spent  the 
sacred  day  at  the  farthest  point  from  home  I  had  ever  reach- 
ed ;  and  yet  we  were  not  away  from  home — we  were  still 
among  friends.  In  one  respect  I  almost  envied  the  mission 
families  their  lot,  for  I  know  not  a  missionary  station  in 
any  part  of  the  world  more  charmingly  located.  It  is  one 
of  the  fairest  spots  in  our  memories  of  the  lands  of  the  East. 

Eising  very  early  on  Monday  morning,  I  rode  out  with 
Mr.Woodside  to  the  government  tea  plantations,  and  gath- 
ered the  leaf  for  mvself,  thouo-h  not  for  use.  The  tea  of 
India  we  decidedly  preferred,  while  we  w^ere  in  the  coim- 
try,  to  any  that  we  drank  in  China  or  Japan,  perhaps  be- 
cause it  was  made  in  more  civilized  style.  We  came  upon 
a  company  of  Thibetians,  one  of  wdiom  was  praying  in  the 
early  morning  with  a  machine,  a  small  wheel  turned  upon 
a  handle — a  very  convenient  way  of  saying  one's  prayers, 
and  quite  as  efficacious,  no  doubt,  as  using  the  form  of  words 
where  the  heart  is  not  found.  The  tongue  may  become  a 
praving  machine  as  truly  as  the  wheel  of  this  traveler  of 
Thibet. 

Many  urgent  and  tempting  inducements  were  presented 
to  us,  by  the  English  as  well  as  the  American  residents,  to 
prolong  our  stay  in  the  beautiful  valley,  and  gladly  would 
we  have  yielded  could  time  have  tarried  with  us.  In  an- 
ticipation of  our  arrival,  various  plans  for  improving  the  so- 
journ had  been  laid.  I  found  that  arrangements  had  been 
made  for  a  public  lectui-e  on  the  Pacific  Railroad,  which 


ON  THE  HIMALA  YAS. 


333 


A  PEAYING  MACHINE. 


bad  awakened  almost  as  ranch  interest  in  that  remote  re- 
o-iou  as  in  the  United  States.  They  had  read  and  heard  so 
much  abont  this  enterprise,  and  of  the  comfort  and  charm 
of  travel  by  the  Pulhnan  palace  cars,  that  they  wished  to 
have  it  all  confirmed  or  dispelled  by  one  who  had  actually 
travei'sed  the  road.  Many  of  the  English  residents  were  in- 
tending to  take  this  route  homeward.  But,  having  laid  my 
own  plans  for  a  long  time  to  come,  I  was  compelled  to  de- 
cline the  invitation.  Had  we  yielded  to  all  the  tempting 
propositions  to  lengthen  our  stay  in  many  places,  to  see 
more  that  was  to  be  seen  and  to  enjoy  more  that  was  to  be 
enjoyed,  especially  in  the  society  of  the  friends  whom  we 


334  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

met,  we  should  still  be  tarrying  or  wandering  far  away 
among  Oriental  scenes,  and  perhaps  should  never  reach 
home  at  all. 

The  English  commissioner  sent  us  a  polite  offer  of  ele- 
phants to  take  our  party  over  the  mountains,  but  we  had  al- 
ready tried  this  mode  of  conveyance  to  our  satisfaction. 
We  returned  to  Saharunpur  as  we  came,  being  taken  by 
coolies  over  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  route.  Mr. Wood- 
side  and  Mr.  Herron  accompanied  us  several  miles  on  the 
way,  and  at  the  ascent  of  the  mountain  we  bade  them  fare- 
well. 

Several  months  before  leaving  America,  in  arranging  my 
programme  for  the  year  of  travel,  I  decided  to  spend  the 
first  week  of  January,  1870,  in  this  part  of  India.  My  ob- 
ject in  doing  so  was  to  pass  the  week  with  the  American 
Mission  families  and  the  native  churches  in  the  religious 
services  of  the  period,  now  kno^wi  the  world  over  as  "  the 
Week  of  Prayer."  Lodiana,  from  which  the  general  mis- 
sion takes  its  name,  is  the  place  from  which,  in  1858,  an  in- 
vitation was  sent  out  to  Christians  every  where  to  spend 
the  first  week  in  each  year  in  united  prayer  to  God  for  the 
conversion  of  all  nations  to  Christ.  That  concert  is  now 
observed  throughout  Christendom,  and  has  become  a  bond 
of  union  and  of  interest  among  all  who  look  for  the  reno- 
vation of  the  world  through  the  Gospel  of  salvation.  I 
commenced  the  week  at  Dehra  Doon,  then  came  to  Saha- 
runpur, where  I  joined  with  the  native  Christians  and  the 
mission  family  in  similar  services.  I  spoke  to  the  natives 
through  an  interpreter,  and,  bidding  them  and  our  friends 
of  the  mission  farewell,  went  on  in  the  evening  of  Tuesday 
to  Amballa,  fifty  miles  farther  north.  Here  I  was  wel- 
comed by  an  old  friend.  Rev.  John  H.  Morrison,  D.D.,  who 
has  spent  between  thirty  and  forty  years  in  India,  and,  after 
joining  in  the  same  interesting  services  at  this  place,  went 
on  with  him  seventy  miles  to  Lodiana,  where  we  met  with 
several  missionaries  and  the  native  Christians  in  the  chapel 
in  which,  twelve  years  before,  the  resolution  was  adopted 


ON  THE  HIMALAYAS.  335 

and  sent  out  into  all  the  world  to  devote  the  week  to  this 
holy  purpose.  In  that  distant  land,  and  amid  the  many 
sacred  associations,  it  was  a  week  of  peculiar  interest. 

I  had  now  reached  the  extreme  northern  limit  of  my 
travels,  having  abandoned  the  plan  of  going  to  Bombay 
by  the  Eiver  Indus  and  the  Indian  Ocean  on  account  of 
the  low  stage  of  water.  Thus  far  my  journeyings  had  been 
accomplished  in  exact  accordance  with  my  originaV  pro- 
gramme, and  I  was  not  willing  to  trust  to  the  uncertainties 
of  navigation  through  a  river  of  shifting  bars  and  shallow 
waters,  when  I  could  lay  my  course  by  the  hour  according 
to  a  previously  arranged  time-table. 

Before  leaving  Lodiana  I  went  into  the  native  town  to 
witness  the  manufacture  of  the  Cashmere  shawls,  one  of 
the  principal  branches  of  industry.  I  called  also  upon  two 
Cabool  princes,  who  were  living  in  exile  upon  a  small  pen- 
sion from  the  British  government.  They  were  sons  of 
Shah  Shu j  ah,  one  of  the  last  native  possessors  of  the  re- 
nowned Koh-i-noor  diamond,  which  now  belongs  to  the 
British  crown.  The  early  history  of  this  gem  is  as  roman- 
tic and  as  tragic  as  that  of  an  Eastern  princess.  It  has  cost 
many  a  prince  his  eyes,  and  many  a  one  his  life.  It  was 
found  in  the  mines  of  Golconda,  in  Southern  India,  and 
first  belonged  to  the  viceroy  of  the  province,  a  native  of 
Persia,  who  afterward  presented  it  to  Shah  Jehan,  the  Mo- 
gul emj^eror  who  built  the  Taj  for  Noor  Mahal.  After 
lying  in  the  imperial  treasury"  near  a  centuiy,  it  was  carried 
off  by  Nadir  Shah,  the  king  of  Persia,  who  invaded  India 
in  1738.  It  passed  through  several  royal  hands.  Some  of 
its  possessors  had  their  eyes  put  out,  and  others  were  assas- 
sinated in  the  strife  to  gain  possession  of  the  treasure.  One 
of  these  princes,  after  he  had  lost  his  sight,  had  it  taken 
from  him  on  the  plea  that  such  a  gem  could  be  of  no  value 
to  one  who  had  no  eyes  with  which  to  see  its  beauty.  The 
father  of  the  princes  whom  I  met  at  Lodiana,  while  sharing 
the  hospitalities  of  the  Maharajah  Eunjeet  Singh,  the  Lion 
of  Lahore,  was  put  to  the  torture  and  compelled  to  give  it 


336  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

up  to  his  host.  The  diamond  remained  in  Hunjeet  Singli's 
family  until  the  Punjaub  was  conquered  by  the  British, 
when  it  was  seized  and  presented  by  the  captors  to  Queen 
Victoria. 

Dark  has  been  the  history  of  tliis  brilliant,  reckoned 
second  among  the  most  Taluable  gems  of  the  world.  When 
found  it  weighed  900  carats.  It  was  reduced  by  cutting, 
first  to  279  carats,  then  to  186,  in  which  state  it  was  shown 
in  the  Great  Exhibition  of  1851.  It  has  since  been  recut, 
and  now  weighs  123  carats,  being  valued  at  about  §600,000. 


LODIAXA  TO  BOMBAY. 


Ox  the  6th  of  January  we  turned  our  faces  southward 
and  homeward,  taking  the  Delhi  and  the  East  Indian  Eail- 
ways  to  Allahabad,  wliere  we  paused  again  for  a  few  days. 
As  we  passed  through  Cawnpore,  the  native  and  foreign 
communities  were  agitated  by  the  recent  occurrence  of  a 
suttee,  the  burning  of  a  widow  on  the  funeral  pile  of  a 
husband.  In  studying  the  state  of  society  in  India,  I 
found  that  there  is  more  to  commend  this  practice  to  Hin- 
doo widows  than  is  generally  supposed.  They  are  not 
driven  by  the  mere  law  of  custom  to  immolate  themselves 
when  thus  bereaved.  It  is  not  affection  for  the  husband 
which  leads  them  to  cast  their  own  bodies  into  the  flames 
which  consume  the  dead.  It  is  the  future  of  the  widow, 
her  degraded,  hopeless,  helpless  condition,  that  makes  her 
choose  death  rather  than  life.  The  suttee  was  abolished 
by  law  in  1829,  and  now  rarely  occurs.  All  who  take 
part  in  it  are  regarded  as  aiding  and  abetting  murder,  and 
are  treated  accordingly. 

Our  last  evening  at  Allahabad  was  spent  with  a  pleasant 
partv  of  English  and  xVmerican  residents,  our  host  being  a 


LODIAXA  TO  BOMBAY.  33'^ 

veteran  English  officer  who  had  spent  forty  years  in  the 
military  service  in  India.  He  was  apparently  nnaffected 
by  the  climate,  which  had  sent  tens  of  thousands  home  to 
England,  and  many  thousands  to  their  long  home.  The 
evening  passed  delightfully,  and  soon  after  midnight  we 
took  the  cars  bound  for  Jubbulpore.  By  morning  we  had 
left  the  great  plain,  and  were  among  the  hills.  There  was 
little  that  was  interesting  in  the  face  of  the  country;  no 
picturesque  scenery ;  no  high  cultivation.  By  noon  we 
reached  Jubbulpore,  where  the  only  break  in  steam  com- 
munication around  the  world  occurred,  a  space  of  167 
miles  to  JS^agpore.  The  gap  was  filled  a  month  or  two 
later  by  the  completion  of  the  rail  through  from  Allahabad 
to  Bombay,  connecting  Calcutta  with  the  latter  place  by 
rail. 

Jubbulpore  is  the  station  to  which  the  Thugs  were  con- 
signed when  the  murderous  clan  was  suppressed.  They 
are  organized  in  a  sort  of  penal  colony,  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  British  officers.  Some  of  the  more  desperate 
and  dangerous  characters  are  in  irons,  and  all  are  kept  at 
hard  labor.  Even  the  children  of  the  Thugs  are  under 
surveillance,  and  not  allowed  to  go  out  into  the  country, 
lest  the  seeds  of  this  infernal  band  should  again  be  spread 
over  the  land,  and  its  horrid  crimes  be  repeated.  Here  we 
were  to  make  arrangements  for  the  only  formidable  jour- 
ney that  we  encountered  during  all  our  travels,  and  it  was 
a  journey  which  we  have  occasion  to  remember  until  the 
journey  of  life  is  over.  We  were  not  shut  up  to  Hobson's 
choice  in  regard  to  the  mode  of  conveyance,  a  variety  of 
vehicles  and  of  motive  power  being  presented  to  our  selec- 
tion. There  was  the  palanquin,  the  ancient  carriage  of  In- 
dia, a  long  black  box  in  which  one  person  can  lie  down 
Imt  can  not  sit  up,  and  which  becomes  exceedingly  tire- 
some after  traveling  fifty  or  a  hundred  miles.  It  is  carried 
by  coolies,  four  at  a  time,  and  if  the  journey  is  designed  to 
be  speedy,  relays  are  required  every  few  miles.  They 
travel  night  and  day,  though  in  the  warm  seasons  it  is  cus- 

T 


338  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

tomary  to  jonrne}^  only  by  i^iglitj  and  seek  repose  and 
shade  during  the  day.  Tlien  there  were  the  bullock-carts, 
drawn  by  oxen,  which  are  sometimes  very  fleet,  but  which, 
in  a  long  journey,  make  slow  progress.  As  time  is  of  little 
account  in  Oriental  countries,  the  bullock-carts  are  a  favor- 
ite mode  of  conveyance.  The  distance  between  Jubbul- 
pore  and  ISTagpore  is  made  by  these  carts  in  four  or  five 
days,  which  was  enough  to  condemn  them  in  our  eyes. 
The  conveyance  that  we  selected,  chiefly  on  account  of 
speed,  was  the  dak-gharry^  the  government  post-carriage, 
which  resembles  the  palanquin,  although  larger,  is  set  on 
wheels,  and  drawn  by  animals  that  are  dignified  by  the 
name  of  horses,  three  abreast.  It  has  this  advantage  over 
the  palanquin  :  it  can  be  arranged  so  as  to  enable  one  to  sit 
up,  but  in  general  it  is  furnished  with  a  flat  bottom,  on 
which  a  mattress  is  spread.  The  passengers  (each  ghariy 
will  accommodate  two,  and  no  more)  lie  down  with  their 
feet  toward  the  horses,  and  are  dri.en  night  and  day  al- 
most at  railroad  speed,  and  without  any  regard  to  bruised 
muscles  or  broken  bones. 

The  entire  distance,  167  miles,  we  were  assured  would  be 
made  in  twenty-four  hours,  and,  -as  time  was  something 
more  than  money,  we  made  choice  of  the  dak-gharry,  not 
wholly  unaware  of  the  severe  pommeling  to  w^hich  we 
must  be  subjected,  though  not  altogether  aware  of  the  se- 
vere trial  of  physical  strength  and  endurance  that  we  must 
pass  through.  Accordingly,  I  engaged  two  gharries  at  the 
government  post-oftice,  one  for  myself  and  wife,  and  anoth- 
er for  the  young  lieutenant,  paying  one  hundred  rupees,  or 
fifty  dollars,  for  each,  a  large  price  considering  the  wear 
and  tear  of  flesh,  for  which  no  allowance  was  made.  The 
rest  of  the  party  engaged  gharries  of  a  private  company 
which  run  their  vehicles  over  the  same  route. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  we  were  fairly  launch- 
ed. Going  out  from  Jubbulpore  for  several  miles  we  met 
large  numbers  of  natives,  some  of  them  gayly  dressed,  re- 
turning from  a  Hindoo  festival  wliich  they  had  been  cele- 


LODIANA  TO  BOMBAY.  ■        339 

brating  on  the  hills.  Four  miles  from  the  town  we  de- 
scended into  the  valley  of  the  Nerbudda,  wdiere  the  scenery 
became  more  attractive.  The  "  Marble  Rocks,"  situated 
on  the  river  some  miles  below  the  ghaut  at  w^hich  we  cross- 
ed, are  celebrated  in  the  annals  of  this  part  of  India  for  the 
bold  and  striking  views  of  which  they  form  a  part,  and  are 
a  place  of  great  resort. 

During  the  whole  journey  the  horses  were  changed  every 
live  miles,  and  every  time  that  fresh  ones  were  put  in  it  ap- 
peared as  if  they  had  just  been  caught  wild,  and  were  then 
for  the  first  time  put  into  harness  and  introduced  to  the 
gharry.  The  first  move  was  for  all  tln-ee  to  attempt  to 
jump  over  each  other  at  the  same  moment  of  time,  an  ex- 
ploit the  absurdity  and  impossibility  of  wdiich  they  had  not 
learned  by  years  of  experiment.  The  next  move  w^as  for 
half  a  dozen  natives  to  seize  hold  of  the  wheels,  and  tw^o  or 
thi-ee  to  take  the  horses  by  the  head,  while  all  together  set 
up  a  hideous  shout  that  frightened  the  miserable  beasts  out 
of  their  senses,  and  away  they  went  as  on  the  wings  of  the 
wind,  under  the  lash  and  shout  of  the  driver  the  whole  five 
miles  of  each  post,  seldom  going  at  a  less  rate  than  ten,  and 
often,  I  believe,  twelve  miles  an  hour.  We  were  driven 
with  such  reckless  speed  over  the  plains  and  down  the  hills 
that  at  every  new  stage  we  committed  ourselves  anew  to 
the  care  of  Providence,  confident  that,  without  special  pro- 
tection, we  must  be  dashed  into  our  original  elements  before 
the  next  five  miles  were  up.     But  we  came  through  alive. 

A  great  part  of  the  distance,  especially  that  which  we 
passed  in  the  night,  is  a  jungle,  which,  like  every  available 
spot  in  India,  is  still  kept  for  raising  tigers.  At  one  of  the 
stations  we  learned  that  two  soldiers,  who  were  on  duty  at 
the  place,  had  been  carried  off  not  long  before  by  tigers, 
and  eaten.  We  concluded  that  there  were  two  tigers  at 
least  in  that  part  that  were  not  hungry ;  but,  as  night  was 
coming  on,  I  took  from  my  traveling-bag,  that  had  been  my 
pillow,  an  excellent  revolver,  that  I  had  not  loaded  since 
leaving  home,  and,  carefully  inserting  five  metallic  car- 


340  AROUXD  THE  WORLD. 

tridges,  lay  down  to  sleep  in  the  gharry,  fully  prepared,  as 
I  supposed,  for  savage  beasts  and  for  still  more  savage  men, 
of  which  there  are  such  in  India  even  since  the  Thugs  have 
been  suppressed.  The  next  morning  I  found,  on  examina- 
tion, that  in  the  dim  twilight,  and  in  my  inexperience  with 
fire-arms,  more  especially  with  metallic  cartridges,  I  had 
inserted  the  latter  with  the  powder  toward  the  muzzle  and 
the  ball  toward  the  stock,  so  that,  if  we  had  been  attacked 
during  the  night  by  one  of  the  rovers  of  the  jungle,  I  should 
have  shot  myself,  and  not  the  tiger. 

About  two  o'clock  at  night  I  became  delightfully  con- 
scious that  we  were  making  no  headway  in  our  journey. 
The  sensation  was  so  peculiar  and  refreshing  I  did  not 
move  to  inquire  into  the  cause  even  after  we  had  been  ly- 
ing still  for  half  an  hour  or  more.  Presently  I  heard  a 
gentle  tap  at  the  sliding-door  of  the  gharry,  and  the  coach- 
wan  calling  '■'■sahih!  sahib  P''  (gentleman,  or  sir)  in  those 
persuasive  tones  which  in  the  East  usually  mean  backshish. 
Supposing  we  were  merely  changing  drivers,  and  that  he 
was  -rousing  me  to  obtain  a  fee,  which  he  had  no  business 
to  do  at  that  unseemly  time  of  the  night,  I  made  no  answer. 
The  coachwan  retired,  but  it  was  not  long  before  I  heard 
the  same  gentle  call — "  sahib  !  sahib  .^"  I  rose,  and  found 
that  the  tire  of  one  of  the  wheels  of  the  other  gharry  had 
broken,  and  I  was  summoned  to  a  council  of  war  by  the  na- 
tives to  determine  what  was  best  to  be  done  in  the  emer- 
gency. We  were  happily  in  a  small  native  village,  and  not 
in  a  jungle ;  but  we  might  almost  as  well  have  been  in  the 
wilderness,  so  far  as  repairing  damages  was  concerned. 
We  found  a  miserable  little  smithy,  but  our  only  light  was 
obtained  fi'om  a  string  in  a  cup  of  oil,  which  scarcely  made 
the  dusky  natives  \asible,  and  afforded  little  aid  in  mending 
the  broken  wheel.  They  had  already  removed  the  tire,  and 
were  preparing  to  weld  it  and  put  it  on  again — a  very  nice 
operation  for  an  experienced  wheelwright,  and  an  impossi- 
bility in  the  circumstances.  I  remonstrated  very  fluently 
in  good  English  against  their  undertaking  so  difficult  an 


LODIANA  TO  BOMBAY.  34^ 

operation,  assuring  them  that  tliey  could  not  accomplish  it 
if  they  took  a  week  for  it,  all  of  which  they  understood  as 
perfectly  as  if  it  had  been  Hebrew,  After  three  hours 
spent  in  ineffectual  attempts  to  repair  the  break,  they  aban- 
doned it  as  a  hopeless  undertaking,  substituted  a  mail-cart 
for  the  other  gharry,  and  we  resumed  the  journey. 

At  fi-equent  stages  on  the  road  the  government  has  erect- 
ed bungalows,  where  travelers  can  rest  during  the  day,  or 
spend  the  night,  provided  they  carry  their  own  beds  and 
bedding.  They  are  supplied  with  a  few  articles  of  f m-ni- 
ture,  the  chief  of  which  is  a  bedstead,  and  with  the  neces- 
sary means  of  preparing  a  meal,  but  they  are  not  intended 
as  hotels.  About  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  reached 
the  dak  bungalow  at  Seonee,  midway  between  the  two  ends 
of  the  journey,  and  paused  for  the  lirst  and  only  time  on 
the  route,  excepting  during  the  delay  connected  with  the 
accident  to  the  gharry.  At  this  place  one  of  the  wheels  of 
my  own  gharry  gave  ominous  signs  of  failure,  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  journey  we  made  with  increased  S2)eed,  and 
with  increasing  apprehensions  of  a  wreck.  But,  through 
the  merciful  care  of  Providence,  we  reached  the  end  of  our 
ride  in  safety — more  dead  than  alive,  it  is  true,  but  with  the 
vital  spark  ready  to  be  resuscitated,  as  it  was  by  a  refresh- 
ing dinner  and  a  good  night's  rest  at  Xagloo's  Residency 
Hotel,  in  the  pleasant  town  of  Xagpore. 

This  was  a  journey  that  I  would  not  undertake  again  for 
a  large  part  of  India;  but,  now  that  it  is  over  and  safely  ac- 
complished, we  look  back  upon  it  with  mingled  feeliugs  of 
pleasure  and  pain,  in  which  the  former  predominate — pleas- 
ure in  the  thought  that  it  is  safely  over,  and  that  we  enjoy- 
ed one  of  the  last  opportunities  that  could  be  afforded  to 
any  foreigners  of  sympathizing  with  the  multitudes  who, 
through  all  the  past  ages,  have  been  pounded  almost  into 
gelatine  by  traveling  in  the  dak-gharry  over  the  hills  of 
Western  India.  It  is  a  luxury  whicli  can  never  again  be 
enjoyed  on  any  of  the  long  routes.  Travelei's  will  hereaft- 
er pass  from  Calcutta  to  Bombay,  by  the  way  of  Allahabad, 


342 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


without  leaving  the  cars.     The  dak-cjharrij  is  among  the 
joys  departed  never  to  return. 

We  were  still  500  miles  from  Bombay,  but  we  had  the 
rail  before  us  all  the  way.  Our  route  lay  through  the 
Mahratta  country,  famous  in  the  wars  of  the  past  centu- 
ries, and  even  in  the  conquest  of  the  country  by  the  Brit- 
ish. All  day  long,  every  few^  miles  we  came  upon  the  old 
forts  standing  in  the  midst  of  the  plains,  some  of  them 
having  walls  of  great  height.  The  time  was  when  in  this 
whole  region  no  one  was  safe  unless  shut  in  by  the  w^alls 
of  a  strong  fortress.  One  conqueror  after  another  has 
swept  over  it  with  his  armies,  and  even  rival  petty  chief- 
tains have  made  prey  of  the  people  and  their  substance. 
It  is  now  devoted  to  the  arts  of  peace. 

The  country  through  which  we  were  passing  is  the  great 
cotton  region  of  India,  a  large  portion  of  the  land  having 
been  appropriated  to  its  cultivation  since  the  rebellion  in 
our  own  country  compelled  the  English  manufacturers  to 
look  for  a  supply  from  some  other  source  than  the  United 
States.  India  is  the  oldest  cotton -growing  and  cotton- 
manufacturing  country  in  the  world.  It  produced  cotton 
thousands  of  years  ago,  and  from  the  earliest  accounts  cot- 
ton fabrics  have  formed  the  clothing  of  the  inhabitants. 
Nothing  equal  to  the  finer  qualities  and  the  long  staple  of 
our  Southern  States  has  been  produced,  but  it  affords  a 
large  supply  of  the  shorter  staple.  The  production  was 
immensely  stimulated  by  the  war  in  America  cutting  off 
the  supply.  The  value  of  the  crop  of  1859-60  exported 
from  India  was  £5,637,624.  In  1864-5  it  had  risen  to 
£37,573,637.  After  this  there  was  a  great  falling  off  in 
its  value,  though  not  in  quantity,  the  exports  of  the  crop 
for  1869-70  amounting  to  £19,079,138. 

We  were  at  Egutpoora,  nearly  100  miles  from  Bombay, 
early  in  the  morning.  From  this  point  onward  the  road 
passes  through  mountain  scenery  bold  and  striking,  a  per- 
fect contrast  to  the  most  of  India  over  which  we  had  trav- 
eled.    Within  a  few  miles  we  passed  through  a  long  sue- 


B03IBA  Y.  343 

cession  of  tunnels,  scarcely  emerging  from  one  before  we 
plunged  into  another.  This  portion  of  the  railway  was 
immensely  expensive,  but  it  was  among  the  first  projected 
in  the  grand  system  of  railways  for  opening  up  and  forti- 
fying the  country.  It  connects  the  port  of  Bombay  not 
only  with  the  Deccan,  but  with  the  whole  of  northern  and 
eastern  India.  Arriving  at  Bombay  at  eleven  in  the  morn- 
ing, we  found  pleasant  quarters  at  the  Byculla  Hotel,  in 
the  suburbs  of  the  city. 


BOMBAY. 

Bo:\iBAY  is  situated  at  the  extremity  of  an  island  of  the 
same  name.  It  was  taken  by  the  Portuo-nese  after  the 
capture  of  Goa,  in  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
and  ceded  in  1661  to  Charles  II.,  of  England,  as  part  of 
the  doM'ry  of  his  bride,  the  Infanta  Catharine.  King 
Charles  gave  it  to  the  East  India  Company  a  few  years 
later,  and  in  1865  it  was  made  the  seat  of  the  chief  presi- 
dency. On  the  opening  of  communication  with  England 
by  the  Red  Sea  route  it  received  a  new  im^^etus,  and  its 
importance,  if  not  its  supremacy  as  the  commercial  capi- 
tal of  India,  has  been  secured  by  the  opening  of  railroad 
communication  with  all  parts  of  the  country.  Its  popula- 
tion and  commerce  have  rapidly  increased  until  it  has  be- 
come the  successful  rival  of  Calcutta.  It  is  now  a  delicate 
matter  to  express  an  opinion  in  India  as  to  which  is  the 
chief  city,  but  it  will  be  the  fault  of  the  people  of  Bom- 
l)ay  alone  if  they  do  not  take  the  lead.  Admirably  loca- 
ted, both  in  regard  to  its  internal  and  foreign  trade,  at  the 
western  gateway  of  India,  it  is  in  direct  communication 
with  the  richest  parts  of  the  country,  and  at  the  nearest 
point  of  communication  with  the  whole  western  world. 


344:  AROuyn  the  world. 

Calcutta,  on  the  other  hand,  is  at  the  far  side  of  India, 
near  the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  and  100  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  a  river  which  can  be  entered  by  large  ves- 
sels only  at  certain  stages  of  the  tide.  Bombay  has  a  fine 
open  harbor — a  little  too  open,  it  is  true,  during  the  preva- 
lence of  the  southwest  monsoons,  but  it  may  be  farther 
protected  without  great  expense,  and  the  navies  of  the 
world  might  here  ride  at  anchor.  As  one  of  the  results  of 
the  American  war,  which  opened  a  market  for  the  cotton 
of  India,  and  other  causes,  the  city  became  inflated  in  1865 
with  the  promises  of  a  golden  harvest,  and  launched  out 
into  extravagant  speculations,  as  if  the  business  of  the 
world  was  to  be  concentrated  at  this  point.  But  the  bub- 
ble burst  almost  as  soon  as  it  was  blown,  and  a  disastrous 
collapse  occurred.  Waste  lands,  that  had  connnanded  enor- 
mous prices,  were  suffered  to  lie  waste,  and  those  which 
were  bought  at  fabulous  rates  while  still  under  water  were 
never  reclaimed  from  the  sea.  The  people  of  Bombay  be- 
came sadder,  but  wiser,  from  this  experience,  and  now  the 
city  is  on  a  career  of  assnred  prosperity.  All  my  observa- 
tions convinced  me  that  it  is  destined  to  be  the  great  cit}^ 
of  India,  if  not  of  the  whole  Eastern  world. 

In  its  general  aspect  Bombay  is  the  most  lively  city  of 
the  Indies.  Its  population  of  nearly  a  million  is  very  nnil- 
tifarious.  Nearly  all  the  tribes  of  Hindostan  are  repre- 
sented, Hindoos,  Mussulmans,  Parsees,  Indo-Britons,  Indo- 
Portuguese,  Europeans  of  various  nations,  Americans,  and 
natives  of  Western  Asia.  The  costumes  of  the  people  are 
varied  and  gay  beyond  description.  The  streets  are  throng- 
ed by  a  busy  multitude  on  foot,  on  horseback,  and  in  car- 
riages, many  of  the  latter  gaudily  trimmed  and  drawn  by 
bullocks. 

The  city  is  not  so  remarkable  for  its  public  buildings  or 
its  public  institutions  as  Calcutta,  and  for  the  reason  that 
the  latter  has  been  the  real  capital  of  the  country,  the  seat 
of  the  East  India  Company,  where  its  wealth  was  concen- 
trated, and  in  a  great  measure  expended.     But  some  por- 


A   UDLLOCK   CAEKIAGE. 


tions  of  the  town,  especially  that  known  as  the  Fort,  wliich 
is  commensurate  with  the  ancient  bounds  of  tlie  city,  con- 
tain man}'  fine  buildings.  The  town-hall  is  a  massive  struct- 
ure, with  apartments  not  only  for  the  public  service,  but  for 
scientific  and  liistorical  purposes.  The  rooms  of  the  Eoyal 
Asiatic  Society,  with  its  library  and  museum,  are  full  of  in- 
terest to  every  intelligent  stranger  who  desires  to  study  the 
past  as  well  as  the  present  of  India.  The  Elphinstone  Cir- 
cle, named  from  the  Hon.  Mountstuart  Elphinstone,  who 
succeeded  to  the  Bombay  presidency  in  1819,  is  the  Wall 
Street  of  Bombay,  and  the  centre  of  its  most  important 
commercial  operations.  The  government  was  erecting  new 
and  spacious  buildings  for  public  use,  and  the  whole  for- 
eign portion  of  the  town  was  putting  on  the  promise  of 
coming  greatness. 

The  Parsees,  numbering  more  than  100,000  of  the  popu- 
lation of  Bombay,  embody  a  great  part  of  the  wealth  of  the 
city,  and  are  the  most  intelligent  and  enterprising  of  the 
natives  of  the  country.     Ko  small  part  of  the  mercantile 


346  AROUND  THE  WOBLD. 

l)iisiness  of  the  East  is  in  their  liands,  and  leadnig  houses 
have  branches  in  Paris  and  London,  as  well  as  in  Eastern 
Asia.  Their  dress  is  peculiar,  partly  European  and  partly 
Oriental.  Tliey  have  a  sort  of  caste  like  the  Hindoos,  and 
are  forbidden  to  marry  excepting  among  their  own  people ; 
nor  do  they  usually  eat  what  has  been  cooked  by  one  of 
another  religion.  A  well-educated  Parsee  gentleman  and 
his  wife  were  among  my  companions  in  ci'ossing  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  They  mingled  freely  with  the  other  passengers 
and  ate  at  the  same  table  with  them.  On  returnina;  to 
Bombay,  he  was  called  to  account  for  violating  the  rules 
of  his  race,  and  his  situation  became  so  uncomfortable  in 
consequence  that  he  removed  to  London  to  take  charge  of 
a  branch  of  the  house  with  which  he  is  connected.  With 
all  their  intelligence,  the  Parsees  are  still  greatly  under  the 
power  of  their  ancient  superstitions,  and  there  are  no  more 
bigoted  religionists  among  the  tribes  of  Asia,  not  even 
among  the  Mohammedans.  In  their  religion  they  are  dis- 
ciples of  Zoroaster,  who  lived  several  centuries  before  Christ, 
and  they  are  usually  known  as  fire-worshipers,  reverencing 
the  sun,  moon,  and  other  heavenly  bodies,  and  even  tire 
itself,  although  the  more  intelligent  do  not  admit  that  they 
pay  actual  worship  to  these  objects.  The  distinction  is 
^ery  much  the  same  with  that  of  Romanists  in  regard  to 
the  worship  of  images ;  the  intelligent  and  truly  devout 
may  use  the  image  as  an  aid  to  the  imagination,  while  the 
ignorant  worship  nothing  but  the  image.  In  tlieir  temples 
fire  is  kept  continually  burning  by  priests,  who  maintain 
that  it  has  never  been  extinguished.  They  feed  it  with 
fragrant  spices,  and  treat  it  as  if  it  were  a  god.  The  priests 
even  cover  the  lower  part  of  their  faces  with  a  mask  when 
they  approach  the  sacred  fire,  lest  tliey  sliould  defile  it  with 
their  breath.  Their  reverence  for  fii-e  forbids  them  even 
to  burn  tobacco  into  smoke. 

Nothing  connected  with  the  Parsees  is  more  peculiar 
than  their  treatment  of  the  dead.  They  have  a  large  cem- 
etery on  Malabar  Hill,  near  Bombay,  the  highest  ground  in 


BOMBAY.  347 

the  vicinity,  selected  on  this  account,  that  no  one  may  luolc 
into  it.  The  very  approaches  to  tlie  spot  are  guarded  with 
tlie  most  jealous  care  by  men  who  form  a  distinct  class  or 
caste,  and  who,  from  one  generation  to  another,  are  not  per- 
mitted to  mingle  with  the  rest  of  the  people.  The  ceme- 
tery contains  a  building  devoted  to  the  preservation  of  the 
sacred  fire,  buildings  for  the  priests  and  those  who  have 
charge  of  the  dead,  and  five  round  stone  towers  called 
''  Towers  of  Silence,"  each  about  sixty  feet  in  diameter, 
and  forty  or  fifty  in  height.  These  are  the  receptacles  of 
the  dead. 

When  a  death  occurs,  the  body  is  taken  to  the  gate  of 
the  cemetery  and  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the  priests. 
Xo  one  is  allowed  to  enter  the  walls  with  the  dead.  After 
a  prescribed  ceremonial,  the  body  is  taken  to  one  of  the 
towers  and  laid  on  a  grate  upon  the  top  of  one  of  these 
towers.  A  flock  of  hideous  vultures  is  always  waiting  to 
devour  the  flesh,  and  the  bones  fall  into  the  body  of  the 
tower  below  in  an  indiscriminate  heap.  It  is  the  most  re- 
volting mode  of  disposing  of  the  remains  of  departed 
friends  of  which  I  have  any  knowledge,  but  the  Parsees 
adhere  to  it  with  a  tenacity  which  borders  on  fanaticism. 

Throuo;h  the  influence  of  the  Parsee  o-entleman  to  whom 
I  have  alluded,  we  obtained  an  order  from  a  high  official 
in  their  community  to  visit  the  cemetery.  Even  with  this 
order  we  had  much  difficulty  in  gaining  admittance,  and 
were  constantly  followed  and  closely  watched  by  the  at- 
tendants. We  walked  throuo-h  the  o-rounds,  which  were  a 
picture  of  desolation,  and  saw  the  vultures  seated  upon  the 
towers,  anxiously  awaiting  their  human  prey;  but  the  arca- 
na of  the  place  were  carefully  guarded.  We  had  already 
seen  more  than  often  falls  to  the  lot  even  of  the  Parsees 
themselves. 

The  Hindoo  mode  of  disposing  of  the  dead  is  far  less  re- 
pulsive. We  had  been  dining  one  evening  with  a  friend 
whose  bungalow  was  on  Malabar  Hill,  the  most  beautiful 
of  the  suburbs  of  Bombay.     Tlie  drive  was  throuo-h  troves 


348  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

of  cocoannt  palms,  and  the  bungalow  was  embowered  in  a 
luxuriant  growth  of  vines  and  trees,  making  the  place  one 
like  fairy-land.  It  was  late  when  we  returned  to  town. 
Across  the  bay,  on  the  Bombay  side,  a  row  of  brilliant  lights 
stretched  along  the  shoi'e.  In  the  deep  stillness  of  mid- 
night and  the  strangeness  of  the  whole  scene,  they  had  a 
mysterious  look,  and,  on  inquiry,  I  learned  that  they  were 
the  funeral  piles  on  which  the  Hindoos  were  burning  their 
dead,  a  more  appropriate  use  of  fire  than  to  worship  it,  and 
a  more  becoming  mode  of  treating  the  remains  of  the  de- 
parted, ashes  to  ashes,  than  the  horrid  f  unei-al  rites  of  the 
Parsees. 

We  devoted  one  day  while  at  Bombay  to  a  visit  to  Ele- 
plianta,  a  lonely  island  lying  six  or  eight  miles  across  the 
bay.  which  we  reached  by  a  sail-boat  placed  at  our  disposal 
by  Mr.  Kittredge,  of  the  American  house  of  Stearns,  Ho- 
bart  &  Co.  We  were  accompanied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hard- 
ing, and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ballantyne,  of  the  American  Mission, 
Mr.  Chauntrell,  an  English  barrister,  and  Dr.  Bhau  Daji,  a 
Hindoo  gentleman,  to  whom  I  was  indebted  not  only  for 
many  polite  attentions,  but  for  much  scientific  information, 
as  well  as  for  many  hours  of  pleasant  intercourse.  He  has 
a  high  standing  as  a  man  of  science,  and  is  in  correspond- 
ence with  men  of  learning  in  this  country  and  in  Great 
Britain.  The  caves  of  Elephanta  are  deserted  Buddhist 
temples,  immense  caverns  cut  into  the  solid  rock.  Colossal 
Buddhist  figures  still  remain  in  comparative  preservation. 
Their  history  is  not  known  with  any  degree  of  certainty, 
but  they  are  supposed  to  have  been  made  in  the  sixth  cen- 
tury. 

Another  day  was  spent,  at  the  invitation  of  Dr,  Bhau 
Daji,  in  a  visit  to  more  extensive  excavations  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Kenhari,  twenty  miles  from  Bombay,  We  left  in 
a  carriage  before  daylight,  and  drove  twelve  or  fourteen 
miles  to  the  mountains,  where  horses  and  palanquins  were 
awaiting  us.  I  chose  one  of  the  latter,  and,  bestowing  my- 
self in  the  box,  was  soon  sound  asleep,  and  woke  up  in  the 


BOMBA  Y.  349 

wilderness  as  we  were  approaching,  the  object  of  onr  visit. 
Like  the  caves  of  Elephanta,  the  excavations  at  Kenhari  are 
involved  in  mystery,  but  they  are  supposed  to  have  formed 
a  Buddhist  monastery.  They  are  more  than  seventy  in 
number — one  room  a  cathedral,  with  pillars  and  aisles,  all 
cut  into  the  solid  rock  as  square  and  smooth  as  the  rooms 
of  a  house — are  scattered  along  the  mountain  in  galleries, 
and  are  not  only  deserted,  but  miles  from  human  habita- 
tions. Xo  fitter  place  for  anchoretic  life  and  meditation 
could  be  found  if  it  were  formerly  as  lonely  as  it  is  now. 

One  morning  Dr.  Bhau  Daji  invited  us  to  his  house,  ro- 
mantically situated  in  the  midst  of  a  grove  of  tall  cocoanut 
palms,  to  witness  the  performances  of  a  troop  of  Indian 
jugglers.  We  had  seen  a  similar  performance  at  Delhi,  at 
the  house  of  an  English  gentleman  with  whom  we  dined, 
Init  were  in  no  wise  impressed  with  their  superiority  to  their 
own  craft  in  other  lands.  Those  at  Bombay  were  more  ex- 
pert, but  not  one  of  them  could  equal  Hermann,  the  pres- 
tidigitateur,  in  the  variety  and  skill  of  his  marvelous  feats. 
From  what  I  saw  and  all  I  heard,  I  am  inclined  to  believe 
that  the  tricks  of  Indian  jugglers,  so  celebrated  the  world 
over,  appear  more  wonderful  as  rehearsed  in  tlie  stories  of 
travelers  than  when  seen  on  their  own  OTound.  The  o-reat 
feat  which  I  have  often  heard  described  as  the  marvel,  if 
not  the  miracle  of  such  performances  in  the  East,  the  al- 
most instantaneous  growth  of  a  mango-tree  from  the  seed 
to  fruit-bearing,  in  the  dry  earth,  before  your  eyes,  I  saw 
t^\^ce  in  India,  but  I  saw  enough  to  make  it  clear  that  it 
was  mere  sleight-of-hand.  There  were  other  performances 
that  were  to  me  more  wonderful  than  this,  in  which  there 
was  no  attempt  at  deception. 

While  we  wei-e  enjoying  the  delightful  shade  of  the  palms 
in  the  compound  of  our  host,  the  servants  ran  as  nimbly  as 
monkeys  up  the  tall  cocoanut-trees,  and  threw  down  the 
fresh  fruit  for  our  entertainment.  But  neither  the  milk 
nor  the  meat  is  at  all  tempting  in  any  stage.  I  prefer  to 
leave  the  cocoanuts  to  be  manufactured  into  oil,  for  which 
purpose  they  are  raised  all  over  the  East. 


350  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

Among  the  curious  places  in  Bombay  was  tlie  hospital 
for  aged  and  infirm  animals.  It  was  open  to  all  races  save 
the  human,  from  the  elephant  down  to  the  smallest  domes- 
tic animal.  If  any  poor  dog  happens  to  break  his  leg,  or 
meets  with  any  disaster,  or  is  overtaken  by  sickness,  he  will 
find  provision  here  for  his  comfort  and  relief,  if  he  can  be 
relieved.  A  large  sqnare  in  the  midst  of  the  city,  with  suit- 
able shelter,  is  devoted  to  this  benevolent  though  rather 
sentimental  object.  The  numerous  invalids  and  unfortu- 
nates were  any  thing  but  a  pleasing  sight,  and  it  appeared 
to  me  more  of  a  work  of  mercy  to  end  their  misery  than  to 
prolong  their  days. 


BOMBAY  TO  CAIRO. 


Whatever  may  be  the  feelings  of  the  reader,  I  leave  this 
land  of  the  Hindoo  and  the  Mohammedan,  of  palms  and 
palaces,  with  the  deepest  regret  that  time  will  not  wait 
while  I  tarry  longer  among  its  strange  scenes.  Thus  far  it 
has  been  the  most  interesting  country  that  we  have  reached, 
not  alone  nor  chiefly  for  its  Oriental  and  tropical  scenery ; 
nor  for  its  venerable  and  varied  history,  runnino;  back 
through  thousands  of  years,  and  down  through  changing 
dynasties,  some  of  which  have  been  maintained  in  splendor 
such  as  the  world  has  not  seen  elsewhere ;  nor  for  the  re- 
markably diversified  character  of  its  numerous  races,  which 
altogether  make  up  one  of  the  most  curious  pieces  of  mo- 
saic that  the  population  of  the  globe  "uall  furnish ;  nor  for 
the  monuments  of  the  past,  wliich  exceed  in  beauty,  if  not 
in  magnificence,  all  that  the  ages  have  left  in  other  lands ; 
but  still  more  interesting  in  the  chano-es  that  are  now  tak- 
ing  place  in  the  condition  of  its  people,  and  in  the  promises 
for  the  future  which  every  where  meet  the  eye  and  strike 
the  eaj'. 


BOMBAY  TO  CAIMO.  351 

Xut  the  g'lory  of  the  past,  the  age  of  "  barbaric  gold  and 
pearls,"  but  a  greater  glory  is  yet  to  rest  ou  India.  I  have 
looked  with  the  deepest  satisfaction  upon  the  signs  of  a 
coming  higher  civilization,  and  the  evidences  that  the  light 
that  is  to  lighten  all  nations  is  dawning  upon  its  two  hun- 
dred millions.  India  is  not  now  altogether  a  land  of  dark- 
ness. The  mass  of  its  people  are  still  bowing  down  to  its 
gods  of  wood  and  of  stone,  or  following  the  false  prophet, 
but  from  Cape  Comorin  to  the  Himalayas  the  Sun  of  right- 
eousness is  lighting  the  peaks  here  and  there,  and  giving 
sure  promise  of  the  coming  day  when  Christianity  shall  tri- 
umph over  superstition  and  false  religion. 

I  rejoice  heartily  that  India  is  under  British  rule.  What- 
ever ma}^  be  the  errors,  or  even  the  crimes  of  the  past,  in 
connection  with  the  extension  of  British  arms,  and  in  the 
complicity  of  the  governing  powers  with  idolatry,  now  that 
they  have  been  so  fearfully  expiated  in  the  mutiny  of  1857, 
and  since  the  power  has  passed  directly  into  the  hands  of 
the  home  government,  a  new  destiny  awaits  the  land  and 
the  people. 

I  liad  timed  our  arrival  at  Calcutta  so  as  to  spend  in  In- 
dia the  onlv  two  months  of  the  vear  in  which  one  can 
travel  with  comfort,  December  and  January  ;  and  our  de- 
parture, so  as  to  avoid  the  stifling  heat  of  the  Red  Sea. 
which  becomes  almost  insupportable  in  summer.  On  the 
2-ith  of  January  we  went  on  board  the  steamer  Krishna, 
which  was  lying  at  anchor  in  the  harbor.  The  waters  of 
the  bay  were  quiet,  but  outside  we  had  a  taste  of  the  sea. 
As  we  passed  the  light-ship,  a  boat  came  off  to  the  Krishna 
to  put  a  passenger  on  board.  It  was  already  dark ;  the 
waves  were  running  high ;  and  as  a  sailor  in  the  boat 
caught  the  rope  that  was  thrown  him,  the  boat  receded 
with  a  returning  swell,  he  was  jerked  into  the  angry  sea 
and  left  struggling  with  the  waves,  the  boat  drifting  far 
astern.  Almost  instantlv  the  first  officer  of  the  Krishna 
jumped  into  the  sea  to  rescue  the  man,  and  then  there 
were  two  in  great  danger.     They  clung  desperately  to  the 


352  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

rope,  and  twice  were  drawn  to  the  ship  and  part  way  up 
its  side,  wlien  a  returning  wave  overwhehned  them,  and 
they  dropped  again  into  the  seething  waters,  the  officer  cry- 
ing out  "  I'm  done,"  and  apparently  giving  up  all  hoj)e.  It 
was  a  frightful  scene.  In  the  darkness  there  seemed  little 
prospect  of  saving  either  of  them,  and  with  anxious  hearts 
we  peered  into  the  black  w^aters,  and  could  only  pi'ay  that 
a  merciful  God  might  strengthen  their  arms  and  rescue 
them  from  what  appeared  an  almost  inevitable  fate.  The 
officer  at  length  caught  a  buoy  which  was  thrown  over- 
board, the  sailor  clung  to  the  rope,  a  boat  was  lowered, 
and,  to  the  great  joy  of  all,  the  men  were  both  brought  on 
board.  It  was  all  the  work  of  a  few  minutes,  but  it  seem- 
ed an  age  as  I  watched  them  in  their  struggle  for  life,  and 
wdien  they  w^ere  safe  I  felt  as  if  I  had  myself  been  rescued 
from  a  watery  grave. 

Once  off  the  coast,  the  voyage  through  the  Indian  Ocean 
as  far  as  Aden,  1660  miles,  was  without  any  striking  inci 
dent.  A  strong  northeast  monsoon  kept  our  ship  steady, 
helped  us  on  our  course,  and  supplied  us  with  plenty  of 
fresh  air,  a  great  blessing  in  these  Eastern  seas.  Our  pas- 
sengers were  chiefly  East  India  officers,  in  the  military  and 
civil  service,  with  their  families,  and  as  we  gradually  be- 
came acquainted,  the  time  passed  pleasantly  away.  On  the 
morning  of  the  sixth  day  the  shores  of  Arabia  were  in 
sight,  and  toward  evening  we  descried  the  heights  of  Aden, 
ninety  miles  to  the  east  of  the  entrance  of  the  Ked  Sea.  It 
is  a  mass  of  rock,  connected  with  the  main  land  bv  a  low, 
sandy  neck,  and  towering  up  to  the  height  of  1776  feet. 
It  was  held  by  the  Portuguese  when  they  were  stretching 
their  arms  and  their  commerce  into  the  East.  It  was  cap- 
tured by  the  Turks  in  1538,  and  held  for  three  centuries; 
but  in  1839,  for  an  outrage  committed  upon  a  vessel  sail- 
ing under  English  colors,  the  British  government  seized  the 
place,  strengthened  its  fortifications,  and  have  kept  a  large 
garrison  upon  it  ever  since.  It  is  called  the  Gibraltar  of 
the  East  on  account  of  its  commanding  position  near  the 


BOMBA  Y  TO  CAIBO.  353 

entrance  to  the  Red  Sea,  and  its  great  natural  strength  as 
a  fortress.  Owing  to  some  peculiarity  in  its  situation,  it 
seldom  rains  at  Aden,  three  or  four  years  passing  without 
a  drop  falling  from  the  clouds,  even  when  it  rains  on  the 
main  land  near  by.  To  supply  this  deficiency,  the  early 
occupants  of  the  place,  how  long  ago  is  not  known,  but  it 
is  conjectured  as  early  as  the  sixth  or  seventh  centur}',  ex- 
cavated immense  tanks  in  the  rocks,  collecting  the  water 
when  it  fell,  and  preserving  it  for  years.  These  ancient 
cisterns  are  still  in  use,  and  afford  an  abundant  supply. 
Not  long  after  we  had  touched  at  Aden  there  came  a  heavy 
rain,  a  fiood,  which  not  only  filled  the  tanks,  but  swept 
away  houses,  and  caused  great  destruction  of  property. 

We  took  on  board  a  small  flock  of  Arabian  sheep  of  the 
broad-tail  species,  the  finest  mutton  in  the  East,  and  an  im- 
portant addition  to  our  commissariat,  and  were  again  un- 
der way.  Passino;  throuo-h  the  Straits  of  Bab-el-Mandeb 
(the  Gate  of  Tears,  or  the  Gate  of  Desolation,  as  it  is  va- 
riously interpreted),  we  entered  the  sea  which,  in  all  ages, 
has  been  a  terror  to  navigators.  This  narrow  strip  of  wa- 
ter covers  a  small  space  on  the  map,  but  it  is  more  than 
1200  miles  in  length,  making  a  voyage  of  five  or  six  days 
by  steam,  during  which  the  shore  is  seldom  seen  on  either 
side.  Its  navigation  is  difficult  and  perilous.  The  water  is 
of  great  deptli,  but  rocks  and  islands  are  scattered  through 
it,  and  coral  reefs  abound,  which  seldom  lift  their  heads 
above  the  waves  to  warn  the  sailor  of  his  danger.  The 
shores  are  almost  entirely  destitute  of  light-houses,  and  are 
occupied  by  not  the  most  hospitable  races  of  men,  where 
inhabited  at  all.  High  winds  prevail  a  great  part  of  the 
year,  making  the  navigation  particularly  undesirable  for 
sailing  vessels,  which  are  now  seldom  seen. 

Near  the  Straits,  which  are  about  twelve  degrees  nortli 
of  the  equator,  we  had  another  view  of  the  constellation  of 
the  Southern  Cross,  which,  in  the  clear  skies  of  tlie  Red 
Sea,  was  very  brilliant  in  the  earlv  mornino;.  The  first 
evening  we  were  off  the  town  of  Mocha,  on  the  Aral )i an 

Z 


354  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

side,  a  name  suc-irestive  of  a-ood  coifee,  which  lived  in  our 
memories,  but  formed  no  part  of  our  experience  on  ship- 
board. The  second  day  we  were  off  the  Zebayer  Islands, 
called  the  Twelve  Apostles,  nearly  opposite  the  landing- 
place  of  the  British  expedition  against  Abyssinia.  We  had 
on  board  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  war,  who  had  served  also 
with  distinction  in  the  suppression  of  the  mutiny  in  India. 
He  bore  many  marks  of  his  heroism,  having,  as  it  was  said, 
been  cut  to  pieces  and  put  together  again.  We  afterward 
fell  in  with  one  of  the  original  capti^•es  of  King  Theodore. 
He  had  his  chains  with  him,  and  was  bearing  them  home 
as  a  trophy.  Farther  on  we  passed  Djiddah,  the  port  of 
Mecca. 

Two  or  three  days  before  reaching  Suez  we  enconntei'- 
ed  a  fierce  north  wind,  which  never  subsided  until  we  were 
on  shore.  Eveiy  few  minutes,  on  the  last  day  or  two  of 
the  voyage,  a  heavy  sea  would  break  over  the  bow  of  the 
ship,  washing  her  decks  from  stem  to  cabin,  wdiich,  with 
the  cold  blasts  from  the  north,  drove  us  all  under  shelter, 
and  many  to  their  berths.  Nor  were  the  high  winds,  and 
the  coral  reefs  on  which  the  British  steamer  Carnatic  had 
struck  and  gone  dowm  a  few  weeks  before,  a  large  number 
of  the  passengers  perishing,  our  only  perils.  In  the  midst 
of  the  gale  and  in  the  midst  of  the  rocks  our  captain  pre- 
pared liimself  to  meet  the  danger  by  a  drunken  carousal, 
and  became  crazy  with  rum,  one  or  two  of  his  officers  fol- 
lowing his  example.  How  we  came  safely  through  w^e 
never  knew,  excepting  that  we  had  the  guidance  and  pro- 
tecting care  of  the  great  Pilot  who  holds  the  winds  in  his 
fists  and  the  waters  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand.  This  cap- 
tain afterward  fell  overboard  in  the  harbor  of  Bombay  and 
was  drowned. 

It  was  not  until  the  evening  of  the  sixth  day  from  our 
entering  the  Straits,  and  the  twelfth  from  our  leaving 
Bombay,  that  we  dropped  anchor  at  Suez  —  it  may  have 
been  upon  one  of  the  chariot  -  wheels  of  Pharaoh.  The 
sun  had  set  before  we  reached  the  anchorage,  which  is  live 


B03fBA  Y  TO  CAIRO. 


355 


miles  from  the  head  of  tlie  gulf  and  from  the  town.  As 
we  could  not  go  ashore  until  we  had  been  inspected  by  the 
health  officer,  we  tired  heavy  guns  and  threw  up  rockets, 
but  tliei'e  was  no  response,  and  we  were  compelled  to 
spend  another  night  upon  the  sea.  But  we  were  at  rest, 
and  tlie  perils  of  the  voyage  were  over. 

Suez  is  not  an  insigniticant  town.  It  has  a  population 
of  several  thousands ;  its  bazars  are  well  supplied  with 
goods  for  Oriental  consumption,  and  there  is  more  of  an 
air  of  activity  and  business  about  it  than  one  might  expect 
in  such  a  desert  region.  When  the  overland  route  to  In- 
dia was  opened  a  few  years  since,  Suez  had  a  revival  of 
the  traffic  it  enjoyed  before  the  discovery  of  the  route  to 
the  Indies  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope ;  but  the  more  re- 


SUEZ. 


356  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

cent  opening  of  the  Snez  Canal  may  be  another  blow  to  its 
prosperity,  by  making  all  transhipment  of  passengers  and 
goods  needless. 

Innnediately  on  landing  and  getting  comfortably  estab- 
lished in  the  Suez  Hotel,  I  took  my  Bible  to  read  over  the 
inspired  account  of  the  Exodus  from  Egypt,  and  went  out 
to  compare  the  account  with  the  face  of  the  country.  It 
was  the  same  land  over  which  Moses  led  the  children  of 
Israel  more  than  thirty -three  centuries  before.  The  same 
sands  were  still  there,  though  the  footprints  of  the  depart- 
ing host  had  been  obliterated ;  tlie  same  sea  rolled  before 
us ;  the  same  mountains  frowned  from  the  southeast ;  the 
general  aspect  of  the  scene  was  unchanged.  It  was  not 
difficult  to  obtain  a  perfectly  satisfactor}^  idea  of  the  route 
by  which  the  Israelites  came  thus  far  in  following  the 
cloudy  pillar,  although  the  precise  point  at  which  the  mi- 
raculous crossing  of  the  sea  took  place  is  still  one  of  the 
problems  of  sacred  geography.  There  is  no  doubt  in  re- 
gard to  the  route  by  which  they  came  from  Succoth  to  the 
sea.  The  path  is  clearly  defined  by  the  features  of  the 
country.  A  precipitous  mountain  range  stretches  from 
the  shore  diagonally  to  the  northwest,  leaving  a  sandy 
plain  between  it  and  the  sea,  from  wliich  they  could  not 
diverge.  All  this  was  so  clear  that,  as  I  looked  over  the 
vast  plain,  I  could  almost  imagine  I  saw  the  great  host  on 
their  march,  the  pillar  of  cloud  leading  them  on  by  day. 
and  the  great  curtain  hung  up  by  the  hand  of  God  to  pro- 
tect them  fi'om  their  pursuers  by  night.  But  where  was 
the  point  at  which  they  heard  the  command  of  God  to  go 
forw^ard,  and  were  so  marvelously  delivered  from  their  en- 
emies ? 

Dr.  Robinson  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  crossing  took 
place  very  near  the  site  of  the  modern  city  of  Suez ;  but 
his  reasoning  savors  rather  of  rationalistic  explanation  than 
of  a  full  acknowledgment  of  the  grandeur  of  the  miracle 
by  which  God  effected  this  deliverance  of  his  people.  He 
explains  aw^ay  the  miracle  by  referring  it  to  natural  and 


BOMBAY  TO  CAIRO.  357 

secondary  causes,  and  in  order  to  do  so  locates  the  cross- 
ing where  the  sea  is  now  scarcely  half  a  mile  wide,  and 
olily  deep  enough  to  be  navigable.  It  is  true  there  are  in- 
dications that  the  sand  has  encroached  upon  the  sea,  and 
that  the  latter  was  here  more  than  a  mile  wide  in  former 
times ;  but  even  this  scarcely  makes  the  necessity  of  a  stu- 
pendous miracle  evident.  From  the  point  selected  by  Dr. 
Eobinson  they  might  have  moved  several  miles  farther 
south,  or  have  passed  up  to  the  head  of  the  sea  farther 
north,  as  the  shores  in  either  direction  are  perfectly  smooth. 
Every  thing  in  the  divine  record  shows  that  they  were 
shut  up  to  entering  the  bed  of  the  sea  at  the  very  spot  on 
which  they  stood  when  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses, "  Where- 
fore criest  thou  unto  me  ?  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Is- 
rael tliat  they  go  forward ;  but  lift  thou  up  thy  rod  and 
stretch  out  thine  hand  over  the  sea  and  divide  it,  and  the 
children  of  Israel  shall  go  on  dry  ground  in  the  midst  of 
the  sea." 

From  an  examination  of  these  localities,  it  appeared  to 
me  much  more  probable  that  they  followed  the  sandy  plain 
to  the  south,  where  the  sea  and  the  precipitous  mountain 
I'ange  converge,  and  where  it  was  impossible  for  them  to 
move  excepting  in  one  direction.  Pharaoh  and  his  hosts 
were  in  their  rear ;  they  had  fled  until  they  could  flee  no 
farther ;  a  mountain  wall  was  on  one  side,  and  the  deep  sea 
upon  the  other :  God  divided  the  watei's  before  them,  and 
they  passed  through  the  midst  of  the  sea. 

At  the  point  to  w^hich  I  refer  the  Red  Sea  mnst  be  five 
or  six  miles  in  width,  and  of  great  depth  ;  but  the  whole  ac- 
count indicates  that  the  crossing  took  place  where  the  sea 
was  wide.  The  Egyptians,  pursuing  the  Israelites,  "  went 
in  after  them  to  the  midst  of  the  sea,  even  all  Pharaoh's 
horses,  his  chariots,  and  his  horsemen."  It  was  in  the  midst 
of  the  sea  that  they  proposed  to  turn  back  when  they  found 
that  the  Lord  was  fighting  for  the  Israelites  against  the 
Egyptians.  They  turned  and  fled  ;  but  when  the  sea  came 
back  to  its  bed,  of  the  vast  army  that  had  gone  into  it  "  there 


358  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 

remained  not  so  much  as  one  of  them."  The  shnple  narra- 
tive, the  Song  of  Moses  which  he  sang  with  the  children  of 
Israel  to  celebrate  their  deliverance,  the  allusions  to  it  in 
other  pai-ts  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  show  that  it  was  a  sub- 
lime miracle,  not  accomplished  by  a  concurrence  of  ordina- 
ry means,  and  therefore  that  there  was  no  occasion  for  select- 
ing a  place  where  it  could  be  easily  performed,  but  rather 
the  contrary.  The  drying  up  of  the  waters  was  not  effect- 
ed alone  by  the  strong  east  wind,  for  "  the  children  of  Israel 
went  into  the  midst  of  the  sea  upon  the  dry  ground,  and 
the  waters  were  a  wall  unto  them  on  their  right  hand  and 
on  their  left."  In  the  Song  of  Moses  it  is  said, '' The  floods 
stood  upright  as  an  heap,  and  the  depths  were  congealed  in 
the  heart  of  the  sea."     This  is  not  all  poetic  imagery. 

While  we  were  yet  in  the  far  East,  on  the  way  to  Egypt, 
the  ceremonial  of  the  formal  opening  of  the  canal  connect- 
ing once  more  the  waters  of  the  Mediterranean  and  the 
Red  Seas  took  place,  but  the  passenger  lines  were  not  yet 
established  when  we  reached  Suez.  In  connection  with 
two  or  three  English  gentlemen,  one  of  them  a  member  of 
Parliament  who  had  been  sent  out  to  investigate  the  ex- 
penses of  the  Abyssinian  War,  we  chartered  a  small  steam- 
er at  Suez  to  ex]>lore  the  canal,  laid  in  a  stock  of  provisions 
at  the  hotel,  and  left  Suez  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, expecting  to  be  at  Ismailia.  fifty  miles  distant,  by  three 
in  the  afternoon.  We  steamed  quietl}"  along,  stopping  here 
and  there  to  examine  the  work,  climbing  the  high  walls  of 
sand  thrown  up  on  both  sides  to  look  out  over  the  desert. 
We  were  well  on  our  way  toward  the  end  of  our  inland 
voyage  when  an  ominous  gathering  of  steamers  loomed  up 
before  us,  very  suggestive  of  one  of  those  dead-locks  pre- 
dicted before  the  opening.  We  would  fain  have  convinced 
ourselves  that  it  was  a  mirage  of  the  desert,  but  it  was  no 
unsubstantial  apparition.  We  found,  on  coming  to  a  halt, 
that  the  stoppage  was  produced  by  a  float  made  fast  in  the 
middle  of  the  canal  for  the  purpose  of  blasting  rock  at  the 
bottom,  and  that  no  craft  could  pass  until  the  drilling  was 


BOMBA  Y  TO  CAIMO. 


359 


completed  and  the  blast  exploded,  wliicli  would  probably 
be  near  midnight — as  it  proved,  and  we  did  not  arrive  at 
Israailia,  which  is  on  one  of  the  lakes  of  the  canal,  until  one 
or  two  o'clock  in  the  morning. 


HIGHT   ON    THE   CANAL. 


The  Suez  Canal  was  not  a  new  idea  to  the  man  by  whose 
energy  and  perseverance  the  seas  have  now  become  practi- 
cally connected.  It  was  projected  by  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tians, who  must  have  had  some  sort  of  communication 
through  the  lakes  across  the  isthmus.  In  1798,  Napoleon 
I.,  then  commanding  the  French  expedition  to  Egypt,  pro- 
posed opening  a  ship  canal  through  the  same  route.  A 
commission  appointed  to  make  the  survey  reported  that  the 
Red  Sea  was  thirty  feet  lower  than  the  Mediterranean, 
which  was  considered  a  fatal  objection  to  the  enterprise ; 
but  the  survey  of  the  overland  route  to  India  in  1830  es- 
tablished the  fact  that  the  two  seas  are  on  the  same  level. 


300  AROUXD  THE  WOULD. 

M.  de  Lesseps  was  then  in  Egypt,  attached  to  the  French 
consulate.  lie  at  once  caught  up  the  idea  with  enthusiasm, 
and  by  indomitable  perseverance  carried  it  out  to  its  pres- 
ent success. 

It  was  strange  to  find  in  old  Egypt  a  city  of  palaces  and 
parks  not  more  than  five  years  old ;  but  such  is  Ismailia. 
It  has  sprung  into  existence  by  the  touch  of  the  Suez  Canal, 
with  as  much  rapidity  and  a  hundred-fold  more  stability 
and  beauty  than  the  towns  on  the  Pacific  Railroad.  From 
this  point  we  struck  out  into  the  desert,  and  for  hours  trav- 
ersed the  sandy  waste,  the  picture  of  dreary  desolation. 
Once  in  a  wliile  we  came  upon  some  weary  travelers  or 
trafiickers,  who,  with  camels  or  donkeys,  were  dragging 
their  way  through  the  sands ;  but  even  this  did  not  relieve 
the  prospect,  for  we  pitied  the  travelers  who  were  making 
such  slow  progress,  while  we  were  driving  onward  by  the 
force  of  steam  over  an  iron  pathway. 

We  were  going  down  to  the  valley  of  the  jSTile  by  the 
same  route  which  Abraham  took  when  he  weut  into  Egypt 
to  escape  famine ;  by  which  the  sons  of  Jacob  went  down 
to  buy  corn ;  and  by  which  the  grand  funeral  procession 
returned  bearing  the  body  of  the  patriarch  to  its  resting- 
place  in  the  cave  of  Machpelah  (where,  I  have  no  doubt,  it 
still  slumbers  midisturbed).  At  length  we  descried  in  the 
distance  an  oasis,  a  grove  of  palms,  a  beautiful  sight  always, 
but  most  beautiful  when  seen  in  the  distance  over  a  sandy 
waste,  bearing  the  promise  of  green  fields,  upon  which  we 
presently  came.  They  lie  along  the  margin  of  the  canal 
dug  to  carry  the  refreshing  waters  of  the  Xile  over  a  wider 
extent  of  country. 

We  caught  sight  of  Cairo  just  as  the  sun  was  going 
down  beyond  the  Pyramids.  Its  golden  light  streamed 
over  the  domes  and  minarets,  pouring  itself  in  a  fiood  upon 
the  green  fields  and  among  the  palms,  and  drawing  a  beau- 
tiful contrast  between  the  building-s  and  the  dark  foliao;e 
in  which  they  were  set.  The  Citadel,with  its  Grand  Mosque, 
towered  above  the  rest  of  the  citv.  havincj  for  its  back- 


& 


B02IBAY  TO  CAIEO.  3gl 

ground  the  gray  mountain,  the  mansolenm  of  long-lniried 
generations.  The  broad  valley  of  the  jSlle,  dressed  in  liv- 
ing green,  was  spread  out  before  us.  For  a  while  we  for- 
got that  we  were  travelers  from  a  new  world,  and  fell  to 
dreaming  of  the  Pharaohs  and  the  patriarchs,  until  that  in- 
tensely modern  invention,  the  shrill  whistle  of  the  locomo- 
tive, restored  ns  to  consciousness,  and  summoned  ns  to  alight 
in  the  city  of  splendor,  and  dirt,  and  donkeys. 

We  had  not  seen  the  interior  of  our  trunks  since  leaving 
India,  and  among  the  most  pleasing  anticipations  of  reach- 
ing Cairo  was  the  general  renovation  that  we  were  to  im- 
dergo  when  we  shonld  again  be  admitted  to  the  arcana  of 
pur  luggage.  But,  on  presenting  our  tickets,  we  were  in- 
formed that  the  luggage  had  been  left  behind  at  Zagazig, 
half  way  to  Ismailia.  All  we  could  do  was  to  repair  to 
Shepheard's  Hotel  and  wait  until  it  should  arrive,  if  it  came 
at  all.  I  had  no  expectation  of  seeing  it  for  at  least  two  or 
three  days,  being  confident  that  it  had  gone  off  to  Alexan- 
dria and  perhaps  to  London,  with  our  English  friends  who 
had  left  ns  at  Zagazisr  to  take  the  steamer.  But,  greatly  to 
my  surprise,  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  Egyptians 
came  marchiiio-  into  our  room  with  the  lost  bao:o;aoe  on 
their  heads,  and  it  was  like  getting  home  to  get  into  our 
trunks  once  more. 

They  have  strange  chambermaids  at  Shepheard's.  The 
one  who  waited  on  our  room  and  attended  to  all  the  vari- 
ous duties  of  the  calling,  even  to  making  of  beds,  was  a 
courtly  Frenchman,  dressed  as  if  for  a  dinner-party,  and 
having  the  air  of  a  reiined  and  educated  gentleman.  It 
was  really  embarrassing  to  accept  his  services.  One  of  the 
ladies,  on  arriving  at  the  hotel,  rang  for  the  chambermaid. 
This  gentleman  presented  himself.  Supposing  him  to  be 
the  proprietor  or  chief  clerk,  she  informed  him  that  she  had 
rung  for  the  chambermaid.  He  Tery  politely  replied,  in 
the  best  English  he  could  command, "  Madame,  I  am  she." 


362  ABOUND  THE  WOULD. 


XXVIII. 

CAIRO  TO  JERUSALEM. 

My  first  expedition  to  Cairo,  after  recovering  from  the 
fatigues  of  our  long  voyage  and  subsequent  journeyings  by 
land,  was  to  the  Citadel ;  not  so  much  to  see  the  Citadel  it- 
self or  the  Grand  Mosque,  but  for  the  panoramic  view  of 
the  city  and  the  valley  of  the  Nile  which  it  commands. 
This  view  alone  would  I'epay  a  traveler  for  coming  to  this 
far-off  country,  even  if  he  should  see  nothing  else.  As  3'on 
stand  upon  the  parapet,  the  whole  of  Cairo,  ancient  and 
modern,  lies  at  your  feet.  On  the  right  are  the  tombs  of 
the  Caliphs  and  the  Mamelukes.  On  the  left  is  what  re- 
mains of  Old  Cairo — called  old  by  courtesy  among  the  mon- 
uments of  thirty  or  forty  centuries.  Beyond  the  city  flows 
the  Nile,  encircling  several  beautiful  islands.  Farther  on, 
across  the  emerald  valley,  the  Pyramids  and  the  Sphinx  sit 
in  silent  majesty.  A  few  miles  up  the  Nile  is  the  site  of 
ancient  Memphis,  now  nearly  obliterated.  The  hills  on 
either  side  of  the  broad  valley,  rising  up  as  walls  to  say  to 
the  overflowing  stream, "  Thus  far  shalt  thou  come,  but  no 
farther,"  are  inhabited  by  a  silent  multitude,  unnumbered 
millions,  unknown  and  undecayed,  who  await  the  coming 
of  the  resurrection  morn  just  as  they  were  laid  in  their 
tombs  thousands  of  years  ago.  In  the  midst  of  this  scene 
the  old  Nile  flows  on  and  overflows,  as  it  has  from  the  time 
of  the  Pharaohs  and  from  the  time  of  the  flood,  if  not  from 
all  time.  As  he  gazes  one  can  not  help  but  people  the  val- 
ley with  the  generations  that  have  come  and  gone,  and  fill 
it  up  with  the  grand  events  that  have  transpired,  until  he 
becomes  bewildered  with  their  variety  and  with  the  suc- 
cession. 


CAIHO  TO  JERUSALEM.  3(53 

Taking:  a  carriacje  at  the  hotel,  and  crossino-  the  Nile  bv 
the  bridge  of  boats,  we  drove  directly  to  the  Pyi-amids, 
which  are  about  ten  miles  west  from  the  river.  The  car- 
riage-road is  an  embankment  of  Nile  mnd  from  ten  to  fif- 
teen  feet  high,  making  it  available  durhig  the  overflow 
and  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  It  is  shaded  by  large  aca- 
cias, and  the  carriage-track  is  nsaally  in  excellent  order. 
The  viceroy  has  shown  some  sense  in  sparing  a  trifle  from 
the  vast  sums  which  he  is  expending  upon  his  numerous 
palaces  for  the  construction  and  improvement  of  this  road ; 
and  whether  the  natives  bless  him  for  it  or  not  (it  must 
greatly  interfere  with  the  donkey  business),  all  foreigners 
who  have  occasion  to  visit  tlie  Pyramids  will  give  him 
their  benedictions.  He  might  immortalize  himself  by  ef- 
fecting one  reform — the  abatement  or  abolition  of  the 
backshish  nuisance.  A  horde  of  Arabs,  nominallv  under 
the  control  of  a  sheikh,  who  is  paid  in  advance  for  their 
services,  stand  ready  to  torment  the  money,  if  not  the 
life,  out  of  every  new  victim  who  falls  into  their  hands. 
They  give  him  no  rest  in  making  the  ascent  of  the  Pyra- 
mid, nor  will  they  suffer  him  to  enjoy,  undisturbed,  the 
magnificent  prospect  from  the  summit.  And  woe  be  to  the 
luckless  traveler  who  is  persuaded  to  enter  the  cliambers 
with  money  in  his  pocket,  and  without  a  large  measure  of 
courage  and  firmness. 

There  is  no  greater  abatement  to  the  pleasure  of  journey- 
ing in  the  East  than  this  never  satisfied  demand  of  money. 
It  meets  the  traveler  at  every  turn,  like  the  flies  of  the  an- 
cient plague,  and  comes  up  into  liis  very  bed-chamber,  like 
the  frogs,  and  there  is  no  escaping  it.  Backshish  is  not 
asked  as  a  matter  of  charity ;  every  one  who  renders  the 
slightest  service,  or  who  only  makes  an  offer  of  service,  or 
who  even  looks  at  you,  whether  vou  wish  him  to  look  or 
not,  feels  that  he  has  established  a  claim  to  your  purse,  and 
dogs  your  steps  with  incessant  appeals  which  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  thrust  aside.  The  claim  is  made  with  such  vehe- 
mence and  pertinacity,  that  you  are  almost  persuaded  to 


364 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


«e,v^/'-^'  '■  o^^iJ^  •O/ifJS. 


THE   PYRAMIDS. 


believe  that  in  some  way  the  miserable  creatures  who 
swarm  around  and  follow  you  from  place  to  place  have 
become  entitled  to  every  thing  you  possess.  If  you  could 
only  purchase  immunity  by  paying  lil)erally  there  would 
be  a  satisfaction  in  doing  it,  but,  like  the  flies  in  the  fable, 
if  you  drive  one  swarm  away,  another  at  once  takes  its 
place. 

I  will  not  tax  the  reader  with  a  description  of  the  Pyra- 
mids, with  which  every  one  is  familiar ;  nor  of  the  Sphinx 
which  sits  a  few  hundred  yards  distant,  looking  out  upon 
the  valley  of  the  Nile  as  it  has  looked  for  thousands  of 
vears,  a  strange  monument  to  the  strano-e  ideas  of  the  an- 
cient  Egyptians.  After  a  stroll  to  the  ruins  of  the  old 
temples — long  covered  by  the  sand,  but  now  excavated — 
we  returned  to  Cairo  over  the  same  road,  and  through  the 
same  green  valley  which,  at  this  season  of  the  year,  ap- 
pears fresher  and  greener  every  time  that  the  eye  rests 
upon  it.     Xor  shall  I  here  record  our  excursions  to  Old 


CAIMO  TO  JERUSALEM. 


365 


Cairo ;  or  to  the  new  palaces  of  the  Khedive,  on  whicli  he 
is  expending  milUons  of  treasure,  as  if  the  wealth  of  the 
Indies  were  his ;  or  to  the  island  of  Rhoda,  where  we  were 
told  the  infant  Moses  was  found  in  the  ark  of  bulrushes — 


',->*§ 


A  STBEET  IN   OAIBO. 


366  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

all  these  and  other  expeditions  in  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs 
must  remain  unrecorded  for  the  present. 

JBriglit  and  beautiful  was  the  morning  when  we  left  Cai- 
ro— but  what  morning  is  not  bright  in  the  East,  the  lands 
of  the  snnrising  ?  With  the  exception  of  one  shower,  of 
which  I  have  made  mention,  we  had  not  seen  a  drop  fall 
from  the  clouds,  and  scarcely  a  cloudy  day  or  hour,  for 
many  months.  It  is  not  pleasant  always  to  live  under  a 
glowing  sun,  but  smiling  skies  are  usually  welcome  to  a 
traveler. 

Through  the  crowd  of  donkeys  and  donkey -boys,  por- 
ters, and  idlers,  we  made  our  way  to  and  into  the  railway 
station,  and  into  the  cars  bound  for  Alexandria,  and  were 
on  our  way  toward  the  sea  and  toward  other  lands.  Be- 
fore leaving  Cairo  we  heard  that  some  home  friends  were 
coming  up  that  day,  and,  meeting  the  train  at  the  half-way 
station,  I  shouted  their  names  while  the  cars  were  coming 
to  a  halt.  There  came  back  a  response,  and  for  a  few 
brief  moments  we  enjoyed  one  of  those  delightful  inter- 
views which  can  be  had  only  thousands  of  miles  away 
from  home,  after  having  been  strangers  in  strange  lands 
for  many  long  months  of  travel.  Our  words  of  ffi'eetino; 
and  parting,  our  incpnries  and  replies,  our  items  of  infor- 
mation, which  were  confined  to  friends  and  matters  of  mu- 
tual interest,  were  brief  and  hurried,  but  into  those  few 
minutes  we  crowded  an  amount  of  pleasure  that  might  be 
spread  over  many  days  of  ordinary  life.  These  stolen  in- 
terviews in  the  wide  desert— these  snatches  of  home  de- 
light, as  one  flits  by  another  in  a  strange  land,  are  not  to 
be  measured  by  moments. 

Our  time  in  Alexandria  we  divided  between  the  Cata- 
combs, and  Pompey's  Pillar,  and  Cleopatra's  Needle,  and 
ancient  and  modem  Alexandria.  Ko  one  who  has  ever 
lived  in  the  Eepublic  of  Letters  can  come  to  this  spot  and 
not  be  harassed  with  the  remen'brance  of  that  wealth  of 
learning  Avhich  was  here  committed  to  the  flames.  What  a 
treasure  would  the  Alexandrian  Library  be  at  the  present 


VAIBO  TO  JERUSALEM.  3(37 

day !  If  one  such  repository  bad  escaped  the  ravages  of 
war,  and  of  barbarism,  and  of  time,  what  a  flood  of  light 
would  it  shed  upon  the  dark  past !  More  than  one  million 
volumes  are  reputed  to  have  been  gathered  in  the  Library 
and  Museum,  the  most  of  which  were  burned  during  the 
wars  of  Julius  Csesar.  The  Library  was  subsequently  re- 
stored and  enlarged,  but  again  the  torch  was  applied  by 
the  Moslem  conquerors.  When  importuned  to  save  it, 
Omar  coolly  replied,  "  If  these  writings  of  the  Greeks 
agree  with  the  Book  of  God,  they  are  useless,  and  need  not 
be  preserved ;  if  they  disagree,  they  are  pernicious,  and 
ought  to  be  destroved." 

In  what  remains  of  ancient  Alexandria  there  is  nothing 
more  interesting  than  the  site  of  ancient  Pharos,  the  first 
of  those  towers  of  light  that  now  stud  the  shores  of  every 
sea,  like  guardian  angels  watching  over  the  mariners.  The 
light-house  of  Pharos  is  counted  amono-  the  seven  wonders 
of  the  world,  and  well  does  it  deserve  a  place  in  the  cata- 
alogue.  It  was  a  massive  building  of  pure  marble,  erect- 
ed by  the  orders  of  Ptolemy  Philadelphus,  whose  name 
was  to  be  inscribed  in  the  marble  in  front.  The  architect 
made  himself  infamous,  but  did  not  detract  from  the  fame 
of  his  emperor,  by  a  deceitful  ruse.  He  engraved  his  own 
name  in  the  marble,  covering  it  with  stucco,  on  which  he 
placed  the  following  insci'iption :  "  King  Ptolemy  to  the 
Saviour  Gods  for  the  use  of  those  who  travel  by  sea." 
When,  in  the  course  of  time,  the  stucco  fell,  it  revealed  an- 
other more  durable  inscription  :  "  Sostratus  of  Cnidos,  the 
son  of  Dexiphanes,  to  the  Saviour  Gods  for  all  who  travel 
by  sea."  There  is  a  light-house  now  standing  on  the  same 
site. 

We  were  now  bound  as  pilgrims  for  the  Holy  Land. 
Embarking  at  Alexandria  on  the  French  steamer,  we  were 
at  Port  Said,  the  Mediterranean  entrance  to  the  Suez  Ca- 
nal, early  the  next  moi-ning.  Should  the  canal  be  a  per- 
manent success,  this  port  will  be  an  important  station  be- 
tween the  East  and  the  West.     Its  formation  was  one  of 


368  AROUXD  THE  WOULD. 

the  most  difficult  parts  of  the  great  enterprise.  The  sea  at 
this  point  being  shallow,  scarcely  more  than  a  mud  flat, 
it  was  necessary  to  construct  a  harbor,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  to  excavate  it  to  the  proper  depth.  Two  breakwaters 
were  run  out  more  than  a  mile  into  the  sea,  inclosino-  a 
harbor.  As  there  was  no  stone  for  their  construction,  the 
great  projector  supplied  the  deficiency  by  making  conci-ete 
blocks  of  sand  and  cement,  which  look  like  blocks  of  gran- 
ite. A  light-house,  wharves,  and  other  structures  at  Port 
Said  have  been  built  of  the  same  material,  and  promise  to 
endure  the  action  alike  of  air  and  water  for  ages. 

We  left  Port  Said  at  5  o'clock  P.M.  Late  at  night  I 
was  sitting  on  deck,  enjoying  the  swell  of  the  sea  in  the 
open  air  in  preference  to  the  confinement  of  the  cabin,  and 
by  necessity  became  a  listener  to  the  conversation  of  two 
Enghsh  gentlemen  who  sat  near  me.  One  said  to  the 
other,  "What  a  host  of  Americans  we  have  on  board!" 
(The  Americans  comprised  about  two  thirds  of  the  passen- 
gers.) "  Yes,"  replied  his  friend, "  and  it  is  the  same  wher- 
ever we  go  in  the  East.  I  should  think  they  had  room 
enough  in  their  own  country  to  wander  in  without  coming- 
over  here  in  such  crowds.  Why!  they  can  travel  eight 
days  and  eight  nights  in  one  train  of  cars  without  stopping, 
but  they  do  not  seem  contented  even  with  that."  And  they 
voted  that  it  was  an  unauthorized  proceeding  for  American 
sovereigns  to  invade  that  part  of  the  world  in  such  num- 
bers, evidently  forgetting  that  they  had  stepped  off  fi-om 
the  little  island  of  Great  Britain  without  any  better  author- 
ity. It  was  gratifying  to  me  to  observe  that  they  had  be- 
come so  familiar  with  the  geography,  or  at  least  the  extent 
of  our  country,  which  few  have  been  able  to  comprehend. 

Several  years  since  I  met,  in  a  social  circle  in  London,  a 
very  intelligent  English  lady,  who,  in  the  course  of  our  con-- 
versation,  feeling  called  upon  to  make  some  remark  in  re- 
gard to  the  country  from  whicli  I  came,  said  to  me, "  I  see 
by  the  papers  that  you  have  had  a  fire  in  America,"  appar- 
ently regarding  our  continent  as  a  small  village  compared 


CAIRO  TO  JERUSALEM.  369 

with  the  immense  extent  of  the  British  Isles.  Having  re- 
cently left  New  York,  I  felt  bound  to  apologize  for  not  hav- 
ing been  at  the  fire,  or,  at  least,  for  not  knowing  w^here  it 
was,  and  replied  that  I  did  not  know  what  one  she  referred 
to ;  that  we  often  burned  a  large  part  of  our  cities  over  to 
build  them  up  in  better  style.  (It  was  a  year  in  which  there 
had  been  extensive  fires  in  Milwaukie,  St.  Louis,  and  San 
Francisco,  and  other  Western  cities,  some  account  of  which 
had  met  her  eye  without  making  any  particular  imJ3ression.) 
To  account  for  my  ignorance,  and  to  give  her  some  idea 
of  the  extent  of  our  country,  I  stated  that  not  long  before 
leaving  JSTew  Yoi^v  I  had  taken  a  steamer  in  the  interior  of 
Pennsylvania  and  sailed  a  hundred  miles  down  the  Monon- 
gahela  to  Pittsburg,  a  thousand  miles  down  the  Ohio  to  the 
Mississippi,  another  thousand  down  the  Mississippi  to  New 
Orleans,  and  that  I  was  then  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  the  stream  on  which  I  had  first  embarked. 
This  statement,  although  literally  true,  was  such  a  tax  upon 
her  credulity  that  it  suddenly  stopped  the  conversation. 
She  made  no  reply,  evidently  regarding  me  as  another 
Baron  Munchausen.  But  an  English  gentleman,  who  had 
traveled  extensively  in  the  United  States,  saw  my  unhappy 
position,  and  came  to  my  relief.  He  said  he  had  been  on 
our  Western  rivers,  and  knew  that  what  I  said  was  true.  A 
good  understanding  was  restored,  and  all  would  have  passed 
off  well  enough  had  not  a  young  New  Yorker  present  felt 
disposed  to  indulge  in  a  bit  of  pleasantry  and  enlarge  her 
ideas  of  American  scenery.  Noting  her  surprise,  he  said, 
"  Madam,  we  have  lakes  in  America  so  lai-ge  that  you  might 
take  up  the  whole  of  England  and  drop  it  into  one  of  them, 
and  it  would  not  make  a  ripple  on  the  shore."  We  were 
then  all  at  sea  again,  and  were  both  set  down  as  incorrigi- 
ble illustrations  of  our  national  fondness  for  large  stories. 

The  United  States  of  America  are  much  better  known 
to  the  world  at  large  than  they  were  but  a  few  years  since. 
Our  late  struggle  for  national  life,  affecting  as  it  did,  in  one 
Avay  and  another,  nearly  every  land,  has  made  the  nations 

Aa 


370  AMOUND  THE  WOMLD. 

better  acquainted  with  our  geography,  onr  resources,  and 
our  strengtli,  and  never  did  tlie  country  or  the  nation  stand 
higher  in  the  estimation  of  the  world  than  at  the  present 
time,  if  I  may  judge  from  the  reception  of  Americans  be- 
fore and  since  the  war.  Fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago,  as  I 
can  testify  from  personal  experience,  Americans,  in  travel- 
ing abroad,  were  constantly  and  often  rudely  placed  upon 
the  defensive  wlien  their  nationalitj'  became  known,  and 
they  are  not  in  the  habit  of  concealing  it.  It  was  not  safe, 
even  by  the  wayside  or  in  a  railcar,  to  addi'ess  an  English- 
man on  the  most  ordinary  topic  without  an  introduction,  or 
unless  he  had  first  spoken ;  and  when  the  subject  of  our 
country  came  up,  it  was  the  next  thing  to  a  declaration  of 
war.  1  have  many  interviews  of  this  character  in  mem- 
ory. 

Our  late  war,  in  all  its  liistory  and  its  results,  developing 
the  indomitable  energy  of  the  people,  their  invincible  at- 
tachment to  the  government  under  which  they  have  at- 
tained to  their  present  state  of  prosperity,  and  their  inde- 
pendence of  all  foreign  alliances,  has  greatly  elevated  the 
country  in  the  eyes  of  the  world.  With  no  other  people  is 
this  cliange  more  apparent  than  with  the  children  of  what 
we  are  wont  to  call  the  mother  country.  I  take  pleasure 
in  bearing  the  most  cordial  testimony  to  the  friendly  bear- 
ing of  Englishmen  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  to  their 
friendly  interest  in  our  land.  Time  and  again,  as  I  have 
been  passing  through  Eastern  countries,  where  the  interests 
of  England  are  predominant,  has  the  expression  of  such 
feeling  been  made,  and  with  it  the  acknowledgment  that 
while  our  war  was  in  progress  the  sympathy  of  the  more 
intelligent  and  influential  classes  of  Great  Britain,  at  home 
and  abroad,  was  against  us.  They  have  as  frankly  con- 
fessed the  cause ;  they  thought  we  were  becoming  too  pow- 
erful ;  they  wished  to  see  our  strength  divided,  and  for  this 
reason  they  desired  the  success  of  the  rebellion.  But  they 
now  see  their  error,  and  heartily  express  the  regret  that 
they  held  the  views  and  took  the  course  they  did.     Such  is 


CAIRO  TO  JERUSALEM.  37]^ 

the  logic  of  success.  May  this  international  amity,  which 
on  both  sides  is  now  hearty,  never  again  be  interrupted ! 

It  was  evening  when  we  left  Port  Said.  When  the 
morning  came  1  rose  early,  and  with  no  little  anxiety  look- 
ed out  upon  the  sea.  There  is  no  harbor  at  Jaffa,  and,  as 
the  anchorage  is  a  mile  from  the  shore,  unless  the  sea  is 
comparatively  quiet,  it  is  impossible  to  have  any  communi- 
cation with  the  land.  In  rough  weather  the  steamer  does 
not  stop,  so  that  passengers  are  frequently  carried  by,  and 
those  on  shore  who  have  come  down  from  Jerusalem  to 
take  the  steamer  are  compelled  to  remain  another  week, 
and,  perhaps,  be  doomed  to  a  second  disappointment  from 
the  same  cause.  Happily  for  us,  it  was  calm,  and  we  reach- 
ed the  shore  without  difficulty. 

Jaffa  is  built  upon  a  rocky  hill  directly  on  the  sea,  and 
the  town  rises  so  abruptly  that  it  shows  to  good  advantage. 
But  if  there  be  any  beauty  in  its  situation  or  appearance, 
the  charm  vanishes  the  moment  one  sets  foot  upon  the 
shore  and  enters  its  dirty,  winding  streets,  to  be  jostled  by 
its  miserable  crowd  of  idle  Arabs,  camels,  and  donkeys. 
Our  experience  in  getting  ourselves  and  our  baggage  to  the 
hotel  in  the  American  colony  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town, 
attended  by  nearly  a  score  of  porters  who  demanded  back- 
shish for  all  sorts  of  services,  actual  and  imaginary,  would 
make  another  amusing  record,  but  there  is  not  space  for  it. 
So  many  Americans  were  arriving  that  the  people  were  in- 
dulging "great  expectations,"  and  nothing  but  princely 
gifts  would  satisfy  them.  I  tendered  the  leader  of  the 
band  that  escorted  us  wdiat  was  his  due,  but  he  indignantly 
rejected  it,  demanding  five  times  as  much,  and,  when  I  qui- 
etly put  the  money  into  my  pocket,  he  and  his  whole  crew 
lashed  themselves  into  a  towering  passion  in  true  Oriental 
style,  and  made  all  sorts  of  threatening  demonstrations. 
Verily,  iC  seemed  as  if  the  Philistines  were  upon  us.  In 
the  course  of  an  hour  or  two  he  expressed  his  willingness 
to  accept  what  I  offered,  said  he  was  satisfied,  and  added  a 
"  Thank  you." 


372  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

We  tarried  at  this  ancient  harbor  of  Iliram  and  Solo- 
mon, and  of  Jonah's  embarkation  for  Tarshish,  only  long 
enough  to  niake  ari-angements  for  the  journey  to  Jerusa- 
lem. A  new  road  had  been  recently  built,  well  graded, 
and  affording  a  carriage-track  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  in 
width  the  whole  distance  ;  but  the  carriages  were  wanting, 
and  we  must  needs  take  the  saddle.  The  distance  from 
Jaffa  to  Jerusalem  is  only  thirty-six  miles,  but  very  few  not 
inured  to  the  saddle  can  accomplish  it  in  a  single  day,  while 
it  is  often  done  in  eight  or  ten  hours  by  those  who  have 
been  hardened  to  the  exercise,  and  sometimes  in  less. 

It  was  afternoon  on  Saturday  when  we  were  prepared 
for  a  start.  We  had  sent  forward  to  engage  rooms  at  the 
Eussian  convent  at  Eamleh,  a  few  hours  distant,  where  we 
were  to  spend  the  Sabbath — a  far  more  quiet  and  desirable 
resting-place  than  the  miserable  city  of  Simon  the  Tanner. 
We  rode  out  of  Jaffa  through  the  orange-groves  that  sur- 
round  the  city.  The  trees  were  still  loaded,  with  the  gold- 
en fruit,  and  more  magnificent  specimens  I  have  never  seen. 
One  gentleman  whom  I  met  cut  a  twig  having  on  it  six  or- 
anges which  together  weighed  between  seven  and  eight 
pounds,  and  another  had  two  oranges  that  weighed  five 
pounds. 

Our  course  was  over  the  beautiful  plains  of  Sharon,  then 
covered  wnth  wheat-fields  in  the  early  green,  and  decked 
with  a  profusion  of  wild  flowers,  and  the  ride  was  one  of 
indescribable  interest.  We  were  traversing  the  plain  which 
for  thousands  of  years  had  been  memorable  in  history  and 
storied  in  song ;  the  plain  which  had  been  trod  by  prophets 
and  apostles ;  the  plain  which,  time  and  again,  in  ancient 
and  in  latter  days,  had  shook  to  the  tramp  of  marching 
hosts.  The  classic  sea  was  behind  us ;  before  us  rose  the 
hills  of  Judea ;  on  our  right,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach 
toward  Philistia,  stretched  the  plains  of  Ajalon. 

The  gorgeous  sun  of  Palestine  had  gone  down  in  glory 
behind  the  sea  before  we  reached  our  stopping-place,  and, 
but  for  the  gathering  shadows,  we  would  gladly  have  lin- 


CAIRO  TO  JERUSALEM.  373 

gered  longer  on  the  plains  to  read  npon  them,  and  upon  the 
skies  of  Judea,  the  long  and  sacred  history  of  the  past.  AVe 
followed  our  dragoman  through  the  winding  streets  of  Ram- 
leh,  and  were  soon  resting  in  our  quarters  on  the  house-top 
of  the  Russian  convent.  The  lower  and  only  story  of  the 
convent  was  appropriated  to  our  horses  and  the  pack-mules, 
while  we  ascended  to  the  roof,  a  broad  pavement,  around 
which  were  rows  of  small  rooms  ready  for  our  reception. 
Here  we  spent  our  first  Sabbath  in  Palestine.  The  stillness 
of  the  wide  plains  surrounded  us,  scared}^  broken  by  day 
or  by  night  save  by  the  muezzin's  musical  voice  from  the 
minaret  adjoining,  sounding  forth  the  call  to  prayer.  More 
than  once  were  we  roused  from  our  slumbers  by  the  solemn 
chant, 

"Allah  ekber!  Allah  ekber! 
Eshedon  en  la  AUah  ilia  Allah!" 

This  is  repeated  seven  times  by  day,  and  as  often  by  night. 

The  following  is  a  translation  of  the  usual  form,  varied 

only  on  Friday,  the  Mohammedan  Sabbath  : 

"  God  is  great !  God  is  great ! 
I  testify  that  there  is  no  god  but  God. 
I  testify  that  Mohammed  is  the  Prophet  of  God. 
Come  to  peace !     Come  to  happiness  ! 
God  is  great !     There  is  no  god  but  God !" 

On  the  Sabbath  we  gathered  from  their  tents,  and  from 
the  Latin  convent,  all  the  Americans  whom  we  could  find, 
and  had  our  usual  services  on  the  house-top.  It  was  liter- 
ally a  sacred  day,  and  one  to  be  consecrated  in  memory. 
We  could  enter  into  the  feelings  of  the  patriarch  when,  far 
away  from  home,  he  fell  asleep  by  the  wayside,  and  awoke 
to  say, "  Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not. 
This  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God,  and  this  is  the 
gate  of  heaven." 

We  rose  at  two  o'clock  on  Monday  morning  to  resume 
our  journey  beneath  a  brilliant  sky.  The  stars  were  out  in 
hosts — the  same  stars  which  shone  upon  the  land  of  Canaan 
when  Abraham  first  passed  through  it — the  same  stars 
which  were  shining  when  One,  the  brightest  of  all,  was  add- 


374  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 

ed  to  their  number.  The  moon  was  shecldiiig  its  peaceful 
h'ght  upon  the  phiins  as  we  struck  out  again  upon  the  track 
Ziouward.  Soft  as  is  the  evening  moonhght,  and  suggest- 
ive of  sweet  and  sacred  thoughts,  the  moonhght  of  the 
morning  is  softer  and  more  sacred.  Entering,  as  we  were, 
upon  the  Holy  Land,  and  traversing  the  beautiful  plains  of 
Sharon  up  toward  the  Holy  City,  an  awe  of  solemnity  stole 
over  us,  and  almost  in  silence  we  rode  onward,  hour  after 
hour,  until  the  east,  toward  which  our  faces  were  turned, 
became  luminous  with  the  advancing  day. 

And  now  the  path  became  more  rugged.  We  were  as- 
cending the  mountains  which  are  round  about  Jerusalem, 
and  which  guard  it  like  the  walls  of  a  citadel.  We  paused 
but  a  short  time  to  break  our  fast,  and  were  again  in  the 
saddle  pressing  on  to  stand  within  the  gates  of  Zion.  More 
than  once,  as  we  reached  an  eminence,  expecting  to  see  from 
it  the  city  which  was  once  "  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth,'' 
were  we  disappointed  ;  it  was  still  beyond.  At  length  our 
eyes  beheld  the  sight.  As  we  reached  the  last  height,  the 
whole  familiar  scene,  with  all  its  hallowed  memories,  was 
before  us.  We  needed  no  one  to  point  out  the  various  lo- 
calities. It  was  a  scene  on  which  we  had  been  looking 
from  childhood.  We  needed  no  one  to  say  to  us.  That  is 
the  Holy  City ;  there,  to  the  right,  is  Mount  Zion,  the  city 
of  David ;  there,  to  the  left,  where  rises  the  dome  of  the 
Mosque  of  Omar,  is  the  site  of  the  ancient  temple ;  the 
height  beyond,  now  looking  so  barren  and  desolate,  is  the 
Mount  of  Olives — the  favorite  resort  of  Him  who  came 
from  heaven  to  sojourn  upon  earth,  and  the  spot  last  press- 
ed by  his  sacred  feet  ere  he  ascended  to  his  native  skies. 
The  memories  of  the  sacred  scenes  which  made  the  places 
so  familiar  even  to  our  eyes  came  thronging  upon  our 
hearts,  until  we  could  scarcely  collect  our  thoughts  enough 
to  imagine  in  what  age  of  this  old  world  M^e  were  ap- 
proaching the  Holy  City,  or  whether  it  had  any  age  other 
than  that  in  which  the  most  important  events  in  its  history 
transpired. 


THE  HOLY  CITY.  375 

And  this  is  Jerusalem !  the  mount  whei-e  Abraham  bound 
Isaac  in  the  wilderness,  and  laid  him  on  the  altar !  the  city 
of  David  and  Solomon !  the  spot  which  God  selected  for 
the  display  of  his  glory  in  the  Holy  of  Holies !  the  place 
where  he  was  long  manifest  in  the  flesh — where  Jesus  lived 
and  taught !  the  city  in  which  he  was  arrested  and  tried  as 
a  malefactor!  This  is  the  spot  where  he  was  stretched 
upon  the  cross,  and  where  he  cried  "  It  is  finished,"  and 
bowed  his  head  and  died ! 

Slowly  and  silently  we  wound  our  way  down  the  hill- 
side, past  the  Russian  hospice,  along  the  ancient  wall  to  the 
Damascus  Gate,  passing  through  a  strange  crowd  of  frown- 
ing Mussulmans  to  the  Mediterranean  Hotel,  and  then  we 
rested  in  Salem,  the  City  of  Peace.  "  Pray  for  the  peace 
of  Jerusalem  :  they  shall  prosper  that  love  thee.  Peace  be 
within  thy  walls,  and  prosperity  within  thy  palaces.  For 
my  brethren  and  my  companions'  sakes,  I  will  now  say, 
Peace  be  within  thee." 


XXIX. 

THE  HOLY  CITY. 

In  the  Hotel  Mediterranean  (it  sounds  almost  profane  to 
speak  of  a  hotel  in  Jerusalem)  we  found  more  of  comfort 
than  one  could  expect,  and,  until  another  day  had  come, 
were  not  disposed  to  leave  it  to  explore  the  city.  But 
with  the  morning  we  went  forth  to  trace  the  scenes  which, 
eighteen  hundred  years  as;©,  made  this  mountain  so  mem- 
orable  in  the  history  of  our  world  and  in  the  records  of 
time.  With  little  faith  in  the  traditions  that  have  mapped 
out  the  holy  places  in  the  sacred  city,  I  determined  to 
give  myself  up  to  the  spirit  of  the  scene,  and,  first  of  all,  to 
follow,  in  imagination  at  least,  the  path  the  Saviour  trod 
when  he  was  led  as  a  lamb  to  the  slauirhter.     Accordina:- 


376 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


ly,  1  told  the  guide  to  take  us  first  to  tlie  house  of  Pilate. 
The  one  now  bearing  this  name  occupies  the  same  general 
locality  as  that  of  the  Koman  governor,  but  there  is  noth- 
ing to  establish  the  identity,  and  as  little  to  assist  one  in 
recalling  the  scene  of  the  judgment-hall.  Following  the 
Via  Dolorosa.,  we  come  to  the  Chapel  of  the  Flagellation, 


VIA   DOLOROSA. 


and  then  to  the  Arch  of  the  Ecce  Homo,  said  to  cover  the 
spot  were  Jesus  came  forth  wearing  the  crown  of  tliorns 


THE  HOLT  CITY. 


><  < 


and  the  purple  robe,  when  Pilate  exclaimed  to  the  people, 
"  Behold  the  man ;"  and  then  we  followed,  as  near  as  we 
could,  that  strange  procession  which  led  the  holy  victim  on 
toward  Calvary.  Here  we  are  told  the  Saviour  of  the  world 
sank  under  the  burden  of  his  cross,  when  Simon  the  Cyre- 
nean  was  compelled  to  take  it  up  and  bear  it  after  him ; 
here  we  pass  what  are  called  the  liouses  of  Dives  and  Laz- 
arus, and  presently  reach  the  spot  where  M'e  are  informed 
Veronica  appeared  with  a  napkin  to  wipe  the  sweat  from 
the  sacred  brow,  when  the  portrait  of  the  Saviour  was  mi- 
raculously impressed  upon  it.  The  pretended  relic  is  pre- 
served as  one  of  the  chief  treasures  of  the  Basilica  of  St. 
Peter  at  Pome. 

Making  a  slight  ascent  through  a  narrow  street,  we  come 
at  length  to  the  open  square  in  front  of  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchi-e,  a  sort  of  bazar  for  the  sale  of  relics,  and  a 


CULUCU    UK   TU£   liuLV    SEPCLCUEE. 


37S  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

place  of  gathering  for  all  sorts  of  pilgrims.  The  door  of 
the  church  is  closed.  The  time  for  the  opening  has  come 
and  passed,  but  the  Turkish  officials  who  have  it  in  charge 
delay,  and  still  longer  delay,  hoping  that  a  party  of  stran- 
gers, not  having  the  look  of  ordinary  pilgrims,  will  tender 
backshish.     At  length  we  are  admitted. 

The  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  might  more  appro- 
priately be  called  the  Church  of  all  the  Holy  Places.  Ti-a- 
dition  has  so  conveniently  located  many  of  them  within  a 
few  yards  of  each  other  that  they  are  all  inclosed  under 
one  roof.  Near  the  door  is  the  "  Stone  of  Unction,"  a 
marble  slab,  on  which  the  body  of  our  Lord  is  said  to  have 
been  anointed  for  the  burial.  The  dome  of  the  building 
covers  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  wdiich  stands  in  the  centre  of 
the  area — not  a  tomb  "hewn  out  in  the  rock,"  according  to 
tlie  Scripture  narrative,  but  a  marble  structure  about  six 
feet  square,  and  the  same  in  height,  apparently  built  on 
the  pavement.  It  is  asserted  that  the  surrounding  rock  has 
lieen  removed,  and  that  what  remained  was  incased  in  mar- 
ble, accounting  for  its  present  appearance.  The  whole 
structure  is  above  the  floor  of  the  church,  and  bears  no 
siojn  of  attachment  to  the  original  rock.  The  coincidence 
of  "  stooping  down"  to  enter  or  look  within  the  sepulchre, 
as  did  Peter  on  the  morning  of  the  resurrection,  is  pre- 
served by  a  low  doorway  through  which  we  enter.  About 
one  third  of  the  width  of  the  interior  is  occupied  by  a  mar- 
ble slab  representing  the  stone  on  which  the  body  of  Jesus 
was  laid.  It  is  fitted  up  as  an  altar,  and  on  and  above  it 
are  costly  gifts,  set  thick  with  precious  stones,  presented  by 
different  sovereigns  of  Europe.  A  Gi'eek  priest  was  stand- 
ing at  the  head  when  we  first  stepped  within.  He  court- 
eously gave  us  the  names  of  the  royal  donors  of  the  gifts 
recently  made,  and  handed  us  fi-om  the  altar  some  of  the 
fragrant  flowers  that  are  daily  placed  there  in  profusion. 
The  priests  of  the  different  sects  in  turn  stand  guard  in  the 
tomb,  a  necessary  precaution  with  such  a  crowd  of  pil- 
grims and  strangers.     Free  access  to  the  holy  places  was 


THE  HOL  T  CITY.  3^9 

allowed  to  all,  nor  was  there  any  disorder  or  confusion  in 
the  crowd  of  visitors  which  thronged  the  church  all  day 
long. 

A  flight  of  steps  leads  to  an  upper  chapel,  which  is  said 
to  cover  the  Hill  of  Calvarv,  and  a  round  hole  in  the  rock 
is  pointed  out  as  that  in  which  stood  the  cross  while  the 
Redeemer  hung  upon  it.  A  cleft  in  the  rock,  which  is 
shown,  is  said  to  have  been  made  when  Jesus  yielded  up 
the  ghost, "  and  the  earth  did  quake  and  the  rocks  were 
rent."  All  the  localities,  even  to  the  places  where  Mai-y, 
the  mother  of  Jesus,  stood  while  his  body  was  prepared 
for  the  burial,  and  where  Christ  appeared  to  Mary  Magda- 
lene on  the  morning  of  the  resurrection,  are  pointed  out 
with  the  same  precision. 

Descending  a  long  stone  stairway,  we  were  taken  to  the 
Chapel  of  St.  Helena,  and  then  to  a  still  lower  recess,  ap- 
propriately called,  in  English, "  the  Chapel  of  the  Invention 
of  the  Cross."  I  can  have  no  faith  in  the  miracle  said  to 
have  attended  the  finding  of  the  three  crosses  in  perfect 
preservation  three  hundred  years  after  the  crucifixion.  It 
is  without  satisfactory  proof ;  the  links  in  the  chain  of  evi- 
dence are  altogether  too  wide  apart;  and  I  can  see  no  oc- 
casion for  the  miracle.  Even  the  pretence  has  been  used 
the  world  over  to  encourage  a  superstitious  worship  of  the 
supposed  relic  instead  of  faith  in  the  victim  that  hung  upon 
the  cross.  I  am  equally  incredulous  in  regard  to  the  iden- 
tity of  most  of  the  holy  places.  Without  professing  anv 
accurate  knowledge  of  the  topography  of  Jerusalem,!  have 
familiarized  mvself  with  the  aro-uments  of  those  who  have 
endeavored  to  establish  their  verity,  but  it  seems  to  me  only 
fancy  or  superstition  can  be  satisfied  with  the  evidence. 

On  my  first  visit  to  the  Latin  Chapel  connected  with  the 
Holy  Sepulchre,  the  priests  and  monks  had  just  commenced 
the  vesper  service  preparatory  to  visiting  the  stations  here 
grouped  together.  As  I  entered,  a  Capucin  monk,  Mdiom  I 
afterward  found  to  be  a  jolly  Irishman  on  a  pilgrimage  to 
the  Huly  City,  handed  me  a  Latin  Breviary,  and  I  joined 


380  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

the  procession  in  the  entire  circuit,  reading  with  tliera  the 
description  of  the  scenes  connected  with  the  death  and 
burial  of  the  Redeemer.  The  chants  from  the  Latin  Vul- 
gate were  well  rendered,  and  would  have  been  impressive 
even  in  other  circumstances.  At  the  close  of  the  service, 
Father  Antonio  (lie  gave  me  his  name  as  soon  as  it  was 
concluded)  conducted  us  through  the  chapels  in  possession 
of  the  Latins,  showing  us  the  relics  which  had  been  left  in 
Jerusalem  by  the  Knights  of  St.  John,  and  treating  us  with 
great  courtesy.  I  must  confess  I  thought  him  rather  pro- 
fane in  his  bearing,  for  he  spoke  with  a  levity  of  the  place 
w^hich  was  far  from  being  consonant  witli  my  feelings,  even 
though  I  could  not  satisfy  myself  that  I  w^as,  without  doubt, 
upon  the  scene  of  the  great  events  associated  with  the  i-e- 
puted  holy  places. 

It  is  not  a  pleasant  thought,  even  to  those  who  have  no 
superstitious  reverence  for  any  of  the  localities  of  the  Holy 
City,  that  these  places  are  in  the  keeping  of  the  followers 
of  the  false  prophet ;  and  it  is  still  more  painful  to  con- 
template the  scenes  of  strife,  amounting  not  unfrequently 
to  bloodshed,  that  have  occurred  upon  this  sacred,  if  not 
holy  ground.  Nowhere  else  is  the  hostility  between  Latin 
and  Greek  Cln-istians  more  intense  or  more  ready  to  break 
out  than  on  the  very  spot  where,  as  they  profess  to  believe, 
the  Prince  of  Peace  shed  his  blood  for  their  redemption, 
and  where  his  body  was  laid  in  the  grave. 

From  the  Holy  Sepulchre  we  went  to  Mount  Zion,  the 
City  of  David,  which  is  partially  reclaimed  from  Moham- 
medan defilement,  and  from  Oriental  and  Roman  supersti- 
tion, by  the  establishment  of  a  Christian  mission  under 
Bishop  Gobat,  who  has  had  much  encouragement  in  seek- 
ing out  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.  Sad  and  mis- 
erable is  the  condition  of  the  Jews  in  this  city  of  their  fa- 
thers, as  it  is  in  most  parts  of  the  world.  Their  quarter  in 
Jerusalem,  as  in  nearly  every  Oriental  and  European  city, 
is  the  most  wretched  and  filthy  of  all,  and  they  seem  here, 
as  every  where,  to  be  suffering  the  curse  which  their  fathers 


THE  HOL  Y  CITY.  381 

im'okecl  upon  themselves  and  their  descendants  when  they 
cried, "  His  blood  be  on  ns  and  on  our  children."  They  still 
cling  to  the  curse,  even  though  they  meet  once  a  week  to 
weep  over  the  desolation  of  the  Temple  and  the  city.  And 
even  this  is  with  most  of  them  a  mere  formality.  At  the 
appointed  hour  I  went  out  to  the  "Wailing  Place.  More 
than  a  hundred  Jews  were  assembled,  but  not  more  than 
one  in  ten  appeared  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  service. 
The  rest  were  looking  around  upon  the  crowd  as  uncon- 
cerned, many  of  them  more  unconcerned,  than  the  Gentiles 
who  came  merely  to  see  the  Jews.  Even  the  Rabbi  who 
read  the  penitential  and  mourning  psalms,  and  those  who 
joined  him  in  weeping  over  the  stones  of  the  Temple,  man- 
ifested no  real  grief. 

"As  the  mountains  are  round  about  Jerusalem,  so  the 
Lord  is  round  about  his  people  from  henceforth  even  for- 
ever." The  city  itself  is  set  upon  a  hill,  surrounded,  except- 
ing at  one  point,  by  deep  valleys,  while  far  above  its  high- 
est elevation,  to  the  north  and  to  the  south,  to  the  east  and 
to  the  west,  rises  the  circle  of  mountains,  hemming  it  in  and 
guarding  it  on  every  side.  In  looking  down  upon  Jernsa- 
lem  thus  peculiarly  situated,  I  was  often  reminded  of  a 
precious  jewel  deeply  set  in  gold  to  protect  it  against  all 
injury  and  loss,  and  of  the  more  wonderful  setting  of  the 
human  eye.  Of  the  mountains  that  are  round  about  Jeru- 
salem, there  is  only  one  from  which  to  view  the  city  to  ad- 
vantage, the  one  most  fraught  with  sacred  memories.  The 
second  day  after  our  arrival  we  crossed  the  brook  Ivedron 
and  ascended  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  nearest  point  of 
earth  to  heaven,  if  we  may  make  such  a  comparison,  be- 
cause from  this  the  Son  of  God  ascended  to  the  skies,  lead- 
ing the  way  for  those  who  are  to  rise  and  li^e  with  him. 

Before  passing  out  of  the  walls  we  turned  aside  to  visit 
the  Mosque  of  Omar,  on  the  site  of  the  Temple  of  Solomon. 
The  mosque  itself,  and  the  extensive  grounds  in  the  midst 
of  which  it  stands,  in  years  past  were  guarded  with  jealous 
care  by  the  Mohammedans,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty 


382  AROUND  THE  WOMLD. 

that  Christians  could  gain  admittance ;  but  of  late  there 
lias  been  little  hinderance  or  objection.  Arrangements  hav- 
ing been  made  beforehand,  we  presented  ourselves  at  the 
outer  gate,  and,  provided  with  slippers  for  the  more  sacred 
parts  of  the  inclosure,  were  conducted  by  a  Mohammedan 
guide  through  the  whole  area,  into  the  mosque  and  even 
beneath  it,  to  the  Cave  of  Rock,  which  we  were  allowed  to 
examine  thoroughly.  This  is  one  of  the  ancient  places 
about  which  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt.  Here, 
within  this  square,  once  rose  that  magnificent  building,  the 
grandest  and  most  glorious  on  which  the  sun  ever  shone ; 
here  it  was  that  Jehovah  came  down  and  dwelt  amona:  men 
in  the  visible  glory  of  the  Shekinah,  long  before  the  Son  of 
God  dwelt  on  earth  in  the  likeness  of  mortal  man.  Here 
the  gorgeous  Temple  service  was  instituted  and  celel)rated 
for  centuries,  until  sacrifices  and  ceremonies  were  abolished 
by  the  offering  up  of  the  one  great  sacrifice,  the  Lamb  of 
God.  It  was  refreshing  to  meditate  in  the  deep  stillness 
of  this  sacred  spot,  where  no  idling  intruders  are  permitted 
to  enter,  as  in  so  many  places,  to  destroy  the  sacredness  of 
the  scene. 

Leaving  the  Mosque  of  Omar  and  the  courts  of  the  an- 
cient temple,  after  visiting  "  the  gate  that  is  called  Beauti- 
ful," we  passed  out  of  the  city  walls  by  St.  Stephen's  Gate, 
so  named  because  the  martyr  Stephen  was  stoned  just  out- 
side the  gate.  Descending  the  steep  side  of  the  mountain, 
we  came  to  the  bed  of  the  Kedron,  at  the  bottom  of  the 
Valley  of  Jehoshaphat.  It  was  simply  the  hed  for  a  stream, 
not  a  drop  of  water  moistening  its  stones.  In  the  rainy 
season  a  torrent  sweeps  through  its  entire  length.  Just  as 
we  commence  the  ascent  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  we  come 
upon  what  is  called  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  a  square 
plot  of  ground,  perhaps  half  an  acre,  surrounded  by  a  high 
stone  wall,  and  containing  a  few  aged  olive-trees,  with 
plants  and  shrubs.  The  wall  is  confessedly  modem,  nor  is 
there  any  conclusive  evidence  that  the  spot  was  the  scene 
of  the  Saviour's  agony  and  of  his  betrayal,  while  to  my  mind 


TEE  HOL  T  CITY. 


3S3 


THE  BEAUTIFCL   GATE. 


the  probabilities  are  all  against  it.  There  is  nothing  that 
marks  it  as  a  place  for  retirement.  It  was  doubtless,  then 
as  now,  on  the  frequented  road  from  the  city  to  the  Mount 
of  Olives,  and  a  public  place.  The  vague  tradition  connect- 
ed with  flie  spot  is  not  enough  to  mark  it  as  that  to  which 
Jesus  retired  for  secret  prayer,  and  in  which  he  endured 
the  mysterious  agony  when  one  of  the  heavenly  host  ap- 
peared to  strengthen  him,  as  liis  disciples,  overcome  with 
fatigue  and  sleep,  left  him  to  suffer  alone.  Tlie  inclosure 
belongs  to  the  Latins,  or  Roman  Catholics ;  but  the  Greeks, 
not  to  be  outdone,  have  a  garden  near  b}-  which  they  as- 
sert is  the  real  Gethsemane,  thus  bringing  their  rival  claims 
into  a  sort  of  contempt. 

And  now  we  climb  the  Mount  of  Olives,  in  all  probabil- 
ity by  the  very  path  so  often  trod  by  holy  feet — the  feet 
which  last  pressed  the  earth  upon  the  summit  of  this  mount. 


384 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


JERUSALEM    AND   GETIISEMA>;E. 


There  is  no  other  of  all  the  sacred  places  in  or  near  Jerusa  • 
lem  that  may  be  visited  with  more  confidence  in  its  being 
the  scene  of  events  associated  with  the  Savionr's  life.  I  care 
not  to  know  whether  this  precise  rood  of  earth  on  which  I 
am  standing  was  the  one  on  which  Jesns  stood  when  lie 
spake  the  words  of  the  Sermon  on  tlie  Mount,  or  whether 


THE  HOLY  CITY.  335 

from  this  very  spot  he  beheld  the  city  and  wept  over  it, 
saying,  "  If  thou  hadst  known,  even  thou,  at  least  in  this 
thy  day,  the  things  which  belong  to  thy  peace,"  or  whether 
on  this  precise  spot  he  was  talking  with  his  disciples  when 
"  he  was  taken  up  and  a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their 
sight."  It  is  enough  to  know  that  the  mountain  on  which 
I  am  standing  was  the  scene  of  these  great  events,  and 
that  I  am  brought  so  closely  into  communication  with  the 
past,  with  the  days  of  his  flesh,  and  so  near  to  that  heaven- 
ly world  in  which  I  hope  to  see  that  form  that  was  carried 
up  in  a  cloud  and  hid  from  mortal  sight.  Indeed,  it  is  a 
decided  relief  to  my  feelings,  I  might  say  an  aid  to  my 
faith,  it  certainly  with  me  is  conducive  to  sacred  recollec- 
tions and  pious  emotion,  that  there  is  no  one  near  to  say 
that  precisely  here  these  words  of  Christ  were  spoken,  or 
that  this  identical  spot  was  last  touched  by  his  sacred  feet. 
I  can  commune  with  the  past  far  better  without  than  with 
such  meretricious  helps.  I  found  it  very  pleasant  again 
and  again  to  visit  this  holy  mount,  to  linger  around  it,  and 
from  its  summit  to  look  down  upon  the  Holy  City,  and 
backward  into  the  past,  and  upward  into  the  skies,  as  if 
through  the  opening  made  by  the  form  of  the  ascending 
Redeemer. 

The  summit  of  Olivet  being  800  feet  above  the  Temple 
area,  one  looks  directly  down  upon  the  city  which  is  spread 
out  before  him  like  a  map.  Every  building  and  every  lo- 
cality can  be  distinguished.  Looking  eastward,  the  Valley 
of  the  Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea,  although  nearly-  twenty 
miles  distant,  and  about  4000  feet  lower,  are  seen  so  dis- 
tinctly that  one  can  hardly  believe  they  are  so  far  off. 
The  surface  of  the  Dead  Sea  is  the  lowest  point  on  the  face 
of  the  globe,  being  1312  feet  below  the  Mediterranean  and 
the  ocean,  and  to  look  into  it  from  the  Mount  of  Olives  is 
like  looking  down  into  the  depths  of  the  earth  itself. 

I  was  greatly  interested  in  tracing  out  the  path  that  King 
David  took  when  he  fled  from  the  treacheiy  of  Absalom. 
"  And  David  went  up  bv  the  ascent  of  Mount  Olivet,  and 

^      B  B 


386  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

wept  as  he  went  up,  and  liad  his  head  covered,  and  he  went 
barefoot ;  and  all  the  people  that  was  with  him  covered 
every  man  his  head,  and  they  went  up,  weeping  as  they 
went  up."  Nothing  in  the  record  of  the  reverses  which 
kine:s  have  suffered  could  be  more  touchino;.  The  scene 
was  constantly  recurring  to  my  mind  as  I  went  up  the 
mountain  from  time  to  time,  and  I  almost  expected  to 
meet  Shimei  as  I  passed  over  its  summit.  The  Mohammed- 
ans were  there  with  their  curses,  if  he  was  not. 

One  day,  as  we  came  from  the  Mount  of  Olives,  we  fol- 
lowed the  valley  of  the  brook  Kedron,  past  the  tomb  of 
Absalom,  to  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  a  rapid  fall  of  between 
300  and  400  feet  within  a  mile  and  a  half ;  thence  up  the 
Valley  of  Hinnom,  past  the  Jaffa  Gate  to  the  Damascus 
Gate,  where  we  entered  as  on  our  first  approach  to  the  city. 
The  same  afternoon  we  rode  out  to  Bethlehem,  six  miles 
due  south  from  Jerusalem.  After  passing  through  the 
deep  Yalley  of  Hinnom,  the  road  over  the  plain  is  the  fin- 
est in  the  vicinity  of  the  Holy  Cit}^  We  were  in  sight  of 
several  ancient  villages  mentioned  in  Scripture,  that  were 
lying  off  upon  the  neighboring  hills.  The  Convent  of  Mar 
Elias,  said  to  be  erected  on  the  spot  where  the  prophet  was 
ministered  to  by  angels,  and  the  tomb  of  Rachel,  one  of 
the  few  well-authenticated  places  in  the  Holy  Land,  were 
directly  upon  the  road-side.  And  then  we  came  to  that 
spot,  the  grand  illumination  of  the  book  of  time,  on  which 
the  Son  of  God  appeared  in  the  likeness  of  man.  I  looked 
out  upon  the  hill-sides  for  the  shepherds,  and  listened  for 
the  voice,  "  Behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy, 
which  shall  be  to  all  people ;  for  unto  you  is  born  this  day, 
in  the  city  of  Da\id,  a  Saviour,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord,'' 
and  the  chorus  of  the  heavenl}'  host, "  Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men." 

We  entered  the  town  of  Bethlehem,  where  once  the  Lord 
of  Glory  entered  our  world  in  the  lowly  form  of  a  little 
babe.  We  rode  throuo-h  the  streets  to  the  Church  of  the 
Nativity,  and  instead  of  meeting  with  the  shepherds  who 


THE  HOL  Y  CITY.  337 

said, "  Let  us  now  go  even  nnto  Bethlehem,  and  see  this 
thing  which  is  come  to  pass,"  or  the  wise  men  who  came 
to  pour  out  their  treasures  at  the  feet  of  the  infant  Jesus, 
we  were  surrounded  by  a  swarm  of  imperious  mendicants 
and  traffickers  in  relics,  who  seemed  determined  to  shut 
out  all  sacred  thoughts  of  the  place.  The  star  that  once 
''  stood  over  where  the  young  child  was"  had  long  since 
set,  though  shining  brightly  on  so  many  other  lands.  May 
it  soon  arise  again  in  all  its  glory  on  Bethlehem  and  all 
Judea ! 

Among  the  saddest  of  all  the  scenes  connected  with  my 
pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land  was  a  visit  to  Bethany,  the 
one  spot  with  which  are  associated  many  of  the  tenderest, 
sweetest  memories  of  the  life  of  our  Lord,  and  more  of  our 
knowledge  of  his  real  humanity,  his  actual  sympathy  and 
friendship,  than  with  all  other  places.  Who  has  not,  in 
reading  the  words,  "  Xow  Jesus  loved  Martha  and  her  sis- 
ter, and  Lazarus,"  and  of  his  resorting  to  Bethany  to  enjoy 
their  society ;  and  of  the  message  the  sisters  sent  him  when 
Lazarus  was  sick,  and  his  going  to  weep  with  them  when 
Lazarus  was  dead ;  who,  in  reading  all  this  in  the  Gospels, 
has  not  pictured  to  himself  a  rural  village  where  he  him- 
self would  love  to  stand,  if  not  to  dwell  ?  But  how  changed 
is  the  present  reality  from  the  scene  of  his  imaginings ! 

It  is  about  two  miles  from  Jerusalem.  AVe  left  the  city 
by  St.  Stephen's  Gate,  descending  into  the  Yalley  of  Je- 
hoshaphat,  passed  Gethsemane,  and  took  the  path  around 
the  south  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  very  road  by 
which,  without  doubt,  the  Saviour  made  his  triumphal  en- 
try into  Jerusalem,  when  "  a  very  great  multitude  spread 
their  garments  in  the  way ;  others  cut  down  branches  from 
the  trees  and  strewed  them  in  the  way ;  and  the  multi- 
tudes that  went  before  and  that  followed  cried,  saying, 
Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David ;  blessed  is  he  that  cometh 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord ;  hosanna  in  tlie  highest."  The 
scene,  as  it  lay  before  us,  M-as  one  of  mere  desolation.  Ut- 
ter sterility,  without  verdure  or  foliage  save  an  occasional 


388  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

olive-tree,  marked  the  whole  way  to  Bethany.  The  path 
and  the  fields  were  lieaps  of  stone,  and  the  town  of  Mary 
and  Martha,  a  miserable  clnster  of  cheerless  huts,  with  a 
more  miserable  crowd  of  children  and  grown  people  de- 
manding charity,  had  not  the  first  attractive  feature.  We 
looked  into  the  reputed  grave  of  Lazarus,  and  turned  away 
in  sadness  at  the  desolation  every  where  presented.  And 
this  is  but  a  type  of  a  great  part  of  Palestine  at  the  pres- 
ent day. 

In  these  rapid  sketches  of  travel  over  so  large  a  part  of 
the  surface  of  tlie  globe,  it  will  be  impossible  to  give  even 
a  continuous  account  of  all  our  wanderings.  I  must  omit 
the  record  of  our  excursion  to  the  Yalley  of  the  Jordan 
and  the  Dead  Sea,  where  we  were  attacked'  by  the  Bedou- 
ins in  the  dead  of  night,  as  w^e  were  encamped  on  the 
plains  of  Jericho.  We  escaped  without  injury  or  loss,  but 
a  party  of  our  friends,  who  w^ent  down  to  Jericho  soon  aft- 
er, fell  among  thieves,  who  stripped  them  of  their  raiment, 
robbed  them  of  all  they  had,  and  threatened  their  lives. 

The  last  day  that  we  spent  in  Jerusalem  was  the  day  of 
rest.  In  the  mornino-  I  attended  the  English  service  on 
Mount  Zion,  and  heard  an  excellent  sermon  from  the  ven- 
erable Bishop  Gobat.  In  the  afternoon  we  had  religious 
services  of  a  social  character  at  our  hotel,  attended  by 
about  twenty-five,  chiefly  Americans.  Our  landlord  kind- 
ly prepared  the  dining-room  for  the  services,  and  in  this 
"  large  upper  room,  made  ready,"  we  joined  in  prayer  and 
praise,  and  talked  of  the  scenes  which  transpired  in  that 
Holy  City  nearly  2000  years  ago  —  scenes  in  which  the 
world  has  the  same  deep  interest  to-day  as  when  they  were 
transpiring  on  these  holy  mountains ;  which  will  never  lose 
their  interest  while  the  world  shall  stand,  and  which  will 
only  have  gathered  fresh  interest  when  the  world  shall  pass 
away. 


TU  DAMASCUS  AND  CONSTANTINOPLE.  3SJ9 


TO  DAMASCUS  AND  CONSTANTINOPLE. 

The  morning  came  on  wliicli  Ave  were  to  take  our  de- 
parture, and  I  can  not  say  that  I  regretted  to  look  for  the 
last  time  upon  the  city,  filled  though  it  is  with  holy  memo- 
ries. I  never  had  an  intense  desire  to  enter  the  earthly 
Canaan,  althouo-h  it  had  long  been  one  of  the  unsettled 
purposes  of  my  life  to  do  so.  Knowing  its  forlorn,  desolate 
state,  so  different  from  what  it  must  have  been  when  Abi'a- 
ham  dwelt  at  Mamre,  or  when  David  and  Solomon  reigned 
at  Jerusalem,  or  when  a  greater  than  patriarchs  and  kings 
sojourned  in  the  land  ;  knowing  how  completely  the  traces 
of  their  footsteps  had  been  obliterated,  and  the  sacred  scenes 
connected  with  their  lives  changed  and  desecrated,  I  could 
scarcely  tell  whether  I  desired  most  to  gratify  a  common 
wish,  or  to  cherish  in  my  heart  memories  of  the  land  de- 
rived from  reading  the  Word  of  God.  But,  journeying 
homeward  from  more  eastern  climes,  I  could  not  pass  by 
the  land  with  which  is  linked  all  the  most  sacred  history  of 
the  past,  and  with  which  are  associated  all  the  holiest  an- 
ticipations of  the  future.  I  entered  it ;  I  traveled  and  tar- 
ried in  it,  and  I  turned  away  from  it  with  a  feeling  of  sad- 
ness, but  with  no  regret. 

I  presume  that  every  traveler  experiences  a  measure  of 
disappointment  on  entering  Palestine,  especially  in  visiting 
Jerusalem.  He  comes  with  all  the  sacred  emotions  that 
were  excited  in  childhood,  strengthened  and  deepened  with 
his  growth,  now  raised  to  their  utmost  by  the  very  sight  of 
the  land.  He  does  not  expect  to  find  it,  as  in  days  long 
ago,  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  or  to  see  Jerusalem  as  it 
was  before  the  glory  had  departed ;  but  few  are  prepared 


390  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

to  see  it  so  waste  and  desolate.  While  in  Jerusalem,  I 
found  myself  continually  repeating  the  words  of  the  la- 
menting prophet :  "  Is  this  the  city  that  men  call  the  per- 
fection of  beauty,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth  ?"  The  frown 
of  God  is  every  where  resting  on  the  land ;  it  may  be  read 
not  only  in  the  desolation  of  the  Temple  and  of  the  Holy 
City,  but  in  the  dust  of  the  earth  and  the  stones  of  the  field. 
The  laud  lieth  waste  and  mourneth,  and  no  Christian  trav- 
eler can  fail  to  weep  over  it.  It  seems  as  if  God  had  been 
sweeping  it  with  the  besom  of  destruction,  obliterating  the 
traces  and  attractions  of  its  sacred  scenes  for  the  very  pur- 
pose of  preventing  the  idolatrous  reverence  for  holy  places 
which  is  even  now  carried  to  such  an  extent,  and  to  impress 
upon  the  world  the  words  of  Jesus  to  the  woman  of  Sama- 
ria :  "  Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour  cometh  when  ye  shall 
neither  in  this  mountain,  nor  yet  at  Jerusalem,  worship  the 
Father.  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  they  that  worship  him  must 
worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

Early  on  Monday  morning,  our  horses  saddled  and  our 
baggage  packed,  we  waited  for  the  guard.  From  day  to 
day,  after  our  return  from  the  Valley  of  the  Jordan,  we  had 
accounts  of  fresh  robberies  and  attacks  upon  travelers  on 
the  road  to  Jaffa.  One  poor  Jew  had  been  robbed  and 
nearly  murdered,  and  others  had  suffered  in  like  manner. 
Through  the  American  consul,  Mr.  Hay,  I  had  made  an  ap- 
plication to  the  governor  at  Jerusalem  for  a  guard,  unless 
he  would  be  responsible  for  our  safe  passage.  He  sent  us 
word  that  we  must  have  a  military  escort,  which  he  pro- 
posed to  send  on  his  own  account.  After  every  thing  was 
in  readiness  for  the  journey,  we  waited  an  hour,  and  began 
to  grow  impatient,  when  at  length  a  cavass  made  his  ap- 
pearance with  a  message  from  the  governor  that  we  could 
go  without  the  guard,  and  he  would  be  responsible  for  any 
loss  or  damage  that  we  might  sustain.  We  could  do  noth- 
ing more,  and  accordingly  w^e  passed  out  the  Damascus 
Gate,  ascended  the  height,  turned  to  take  a  last  look  of  the 
city  and  of  the  mountains  that  are  round  about  Jerusalem, 


TO  DAMASCUS  AND  CONSTANTINOPLE.  39^ 

and  began  tlie  descent  toward  the  Mediterranean.  As  the 
sun  was  setting  we  re-entered  Kamleh,  where  we  spent  an- 
other night  within  sound  of  the  muezzin's  voice.  With 
the  break  of  day  we  rose  to  cross  again  the  plains  of  Sha- 
ron, and  early  in  the  morning  rode  into  Jaffa.  The  French 
steamer  Tage  was  at  anchor  off  the  town ;  the  sea  was  calm, 
relieving  us  of  the  apprehension  that  we  might  be  com- 
pelled to  lie  over  for  many  days  (as  were  a  party  who  came 
down  the  week  before),  and  without  any  delay,  and  under 
the  most  pleasing  promise  of  a  smooth  passage,  we  were 
taken  on  board. 

About  midnight  we  passed  Mount  Carmel,  the  scene  of 
that  sublime  trial  between  the  Prophet  Elijah  and  the 
prophets  of  Baal,  and  early  on  the  following  morning  were 
off  Beyrout,  the  most  homelike  and  the  most  beautiful  city 
on  the  eastern  shores  of  the  Mediterranean.  Indeed,  it  was 
a  home  to  one  who  had  been  at  my  side  in  all  my  journey- 
ings,  for  here,  at  the  foot  of  old  Lebanon, 

"  On  that  classical  sea  whose  azure  vies 
With  the  green  of  its  shores  and  the  blue  of  its  skies," 

she  first  looked  out  upon  this  little  world  which  we  had 
been  surrounding,  and  now,  for  the  first  time  since  early 
childhood,  she  was  returning  to  gaze  once  more  upon  these 
sublime  mountains,  and  to  look  out  from  theii'  heights  upon 
this  cerulean  sea.  I  had  no  such  memories  to  revive,  but, 
from  my  first  view  of  Beyrout,  I  wrote  it  down  as  just  the 
place  one  might  choose  to  be  born  in,  if  he  should  happen 
to  have  any  choice  in  the  matter.  During  the  many  days 
that  we  spent  at  this  place,  I  was  more  and  more  charmed 
with  its  beauty,  and  never  grew  weary  of  looking  out  upon 
the  blue  sea  and  up  the  grand  heights  of  Lebanon,  or  of 
watching  the  constantly  shifting  lights  and  shades.  And 
when,  as  once,  the  brow  of  Lebanon  grew  dark  and  then 
angry  with  gathering  clouds,  and  peals  of  thunder  came 
rolling  down  its  sides  and  echoing  through  its  chasms,  the 
scene  became  sublime 

No  city  in  the  East  has  been  more  changed  within  the 


'1-  lr^iu;i:i:iii'iiiiiW':;H::'ii'. 


TO  DA  MASCUS  AND  CONSTANTINOPLE.  393 

last  half  century  than  Bevrout.  Fifty  years  ao-o  it  was  a 
small  town — a  collection  of  mud  and  stone  houses,  sur- 
rounded bj  a  wall,  but  haying  nothing  imposing  or  attract- 
ive in  its  appearance.  It  is  now  a  large,  well-built  city,  a 
place  of  great  and  growing  importance,  having  long  ago 
burst  through  its  mural  inclosure.  It  has  become  also  a 
moral  centre  for  a  large  part  of  the  East — the  seat  of  ex- 
tensive missionary  operations,  which  extend  over  the  moun- 
tains of  Lebanon  and  far  into  the  interior.  When  the  lirst 
inissionaries  from  America,  Messrs.  Goodell  and  Bird,  with 
their  wives,  landed  in  1S23,  thej  became  iirst  objects  of  cu- 
riosity, then  of  bitter  hostility,  and  for  a  long  time  their 
lives  were  in  dano'er.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Greek 
Revolution  they  were  obliged  to  leave  the  country  for  want 
of  protection,  but  they  were  succeeded  in  after  years  by  one 
of  the  noblest  bauds  of  Christian  laborers  that  has  occupied 
any  part  of  the  great  field  of  the  world,  among  ^yhom  were 
Dr.  Eli  Smith,  the  companion  of  Dr.  Robinson  in  his  bio- 
graphical researches  in  the  Holy  Land ;  Dr.  Thomson,  au- 
thor of  "  The  Land  and  the  Book  ;"  Dr. Van  Dyck,  the  em- 
inent Arabic  scholar ;  Dr.  Calhoun,  now  of  Abeih ;  Dr. 
Bliss,  President  of  the  Arabic  College,  and  others — a  gal- 
axy of  shining  names. 

Among  the  tribes  inhabiting  the  mountains  around  Bey- 
rout,  the  most  peculiar  and  interesting  are  the  Druses.  They 
are  a  fine,  noble-looking  race,  generally  intelligent,  and 
able  to  read  and  write.  Their  sacred  rites  are  performed 
in  strict  seclusion,  as  secretly  as  the  rites  of  Freemasonry. 
Among  their  articles  of  belief  is  the  transmigration  of 
souls,  not  into  bodies  of  the  lower  animals,  as  some  Oriental 
nations  believe,  but  into  those  of  other  human  Ijeings.  They 
hold  that  the  number  of  the  race,  or  at  least  of  human  souls, 
does  not  increase  with  the  addition  of  new  members  to  the 
human  family ;  that  when  a  man  dies,  his  soul  goes  into 
the  body  of  some  infant  who  is  born  at  the  same  time,  and 
that  the  souls  of  all  good  Druses  enter  bodies  born  in  China. 
On  this  belief  is  founded  a  tradition  that  there  is  in  China 


39-1  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 

an  immense  army  of  Druses,  25,000,000  strong,  who  are 
coming  over  to  Syria,  not  only  to  liberate  them  from  the 
Turkish  yoke,  but  to  put  them  in  possession  of  this  whole 
country,  if  not  of  the  whole  earth.  In  a  visit  which  I  made 
to  one  of  the  mountain  villages,  the  Druses  of  the  place 
learned  that  I  had  recently  come  from  China,  and  I  was 
waited  on  by  one  and  another,  among  them  a  sheikh,  who 
came  to  make  a  host  of  inquiries  in  regard  to  what  I  had 
seen  of  the  country,  which  is  to  them,  as  it  was  not  to  me, 
a  paradise.  But  the  point  to  which  I  found  they  were  de- 
sirous to  come,  and  which  they  finally  brouglit  out,  was 
whether  1  had  seen  any  of  this  grand  army  of  liberation. 
I  assured  them  that,  although  I  had  been  in  different  parts 
of  the  empire,  I  had  not  seen  or  heard  of  a  single  Druse 
in  all  China,  and  that  1  was  quite  sure  I  should  have  heard 
something  about  it  if  such  an  army  existed  there.  My 
words  sadly  disappointed  them,  but  it  M'as  evident  they  did 
not  carry  conviction  to  their  minds.  They  fell  back  upon 
the  firm  belief  that  the  army  was  yet  to  come  from  that 
distant  country. 

After  the  fearful  massacre  of  1860,  in  which  many  of  the 
villages  of  Mount  Lebanon  were  desolated,  the  French  gov- 
ernment sent  into  Syria  an  army  of  occupation,  or  protec- 
tion to  the  Christians,  which  was  withdrawn  in  a  few  years, 
but  the  army  left  behind  it  one  monument  for  which  thou- 
sands of  travelers  have  blessed  its  memory.  This  is  the 
splendid  road  across  the  mountains  to  Damascus.  Such  a 
road  was  a  novelty  in  the  East ;  the  natives  regarded  it  as 
a  desecration  of  sacred  soil,  and  an  outrage  upon  the  rights 
of  donkeys  and  muleteers ;  but  it  has  been  a  blessing  to 
wayfarers,  and  has  greatly  facilitated  traffic,  not  to  say  com- 
merce, between  these  two  cities. 

The  grandeur  of  the  mountains  of  Lebanon  exceeded  all 
my  anticipations.  Not  even  after  watching  them  from  the 
sea,  and  then,  day  after  day,  from  the  city  of  Beyrout,  M^as 
I  prepared  for  such  sublimity.  They  attain,  indeed,  no 
mean  height,  being  10,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Med- 


DAMASCUS  TO  CONSTANTINOPLE.  395 

iterranean  ;  and,  as  if  scorning  to  turn  aside  for  any  obsta- 
cle, this  road  mounts  some  of  the  loftiest  ridges,  and  for 
miles  runs  along  the  brow  of  chasms  two  or  three  thousand 
feet  deep.  It  was  not  at  all  in  accordance  with  the  ancient 
ideas  of  Oriental  travel  to  be  making  the  passage  of  these 
loftj  mountains  in  a  well-ordered  French  diligence ;  but 
this  mode  had  been  chosen  out  of  regard  to  the  more  deli- 
cate members  of  our  party,  and  those  of  us  who  were  en- 
dowed with  more  strength  were  nothing  loth  to  exchange 
the  saddle  for  a  comfortable  seat  in  an  Occidental  carriage. 
Nor  did  we  enjoy  the  magnificent  scenery  any  less  for  the 
change. 

We  were  to  start  for  Damascus  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  nearly  two  hours  before  daylight.  As  the  dili- 
gence would  not  come  to  our  hotel,  Mohammed  like  we 
concluded  to  go  to  the  diligence.  On  retiring,  we  had  given 
special  and  repeated  charge  to  landlord  and  porter  to  call 
us  by  two  o'clock,  that  we  might  have  every  thing  in  readi- 
ness for  our  night  walk  of  nearly  a  mile  to  the  ofiice ;  but 
I  had  learned  that  the  proverb  has  double  force  in  the  East : 
"  If  you  wish  a  thing  done,  do  it  yourself,"  and  accordingly 
I  attended  to  my  own  waking.  If  I  had  not  risen  and 
called  myself,  we  should  have  spent  the  day  in  Beyrout  in- 
stead of  crossing  Mount  Lebanon.  Not  very  cheerful  was 
that  walk  through  the  streets  of  Beyrout  under  a  cloudy, 
moonless  sky,  with  a  single  lantern  dimly  burning,  nor  was 
the  first  hour  or  two  of  our  journey  much  more  inspiriting. 
In  the  darkness  our  thoughts  were  all  the  while  turning  to 
the  easy  couches  we  had  left  more  than  to  the  scenery 
around  us,  which  we  could  not  see,  or  the  views  of  Damas- 
cus, its  rivers  and  its  plains,  which  were  yet  before  us.  But 
when  the  morning  fairly  dawned,  as  we  were  ascending 
those  lofty  heights  from  which  Hiram  had  cut  the  cedars 
to  build  and  adorn  the  Temple  of  Solomon,  and  when,  in 
the  frequent  windings  of  the  road,  as  we  made  our  zigzag 
way  upward,  we  looked  back  upon  the  plain  and  the  city 
of  Beyrout  far  down  below,  and  then  out  upon  the  sea,  the 


396  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

thernioinetei"  of  our  hearts  rose  as  manv  de2:rees  as  did  the 
thermometer  of  Fahrenlieit.  And  all  day  long  we  were 
catching  new  glimpses  of  the  sublime  heights  and  sublime 
depths,  until,  as  we  were  drawing  near  to  Damascus,  the 
hoary  head  of  Mount  Hermon  appeared  in  the  distance. 

The  valley  of  Coelo-Syria  is  a  beautiful  episode  in  the 
journey.  The  mountains  have  little  verdure  or  foliage. 
Occasionally  a  garden  spot  or  a  vineyard  aj^peared,  but  the 
mountains  are  usually  masses  of  rock,  on  which  no  vegeta- 
tion can  take  root.  After  traversing  those  wild  ranges  foi" 
hours,  all  of  a  sudden  an  emerald  vallej^  was  seen  several 
thousand  feet  below,  the  mountains  rising  again  on  the  op- 
posite side.  The  descent  was  long,  and  we  went  down  into 
the  valley  only  to  climb  the  anti-Lebanon  range  which  lies 
beyond.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  com- 
menced the  descent.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  we  were  in 
a  deep  gorge,  and  suddenly  came  upon  a  swift-flowing 
stream,  which  we  traversed  for  many  miles,  its  banks  shaded 
with  groves  and  diversified  with  gardens,  the  River  Abana, 
of  the  story  of  ISTaaman  and  the  Syrian  maid.  Following 
the  course  of  the  stream,  we  were  presently  at  the  entrance 
to  the  city,  and  soon  found  quarters  at  the  excellent  hotel 
of  Dimitri  Cara. 

It  was  Saturday  night  when  we  reached  Damascus.  In 
the  morning  we  went  out  into  "  the  street  called  Straight" 
(some  traveler  has  remarked  very  truly  that  it  could  have 
been  called  so  only  out  of  courtesy),  and  after  a  long  walk 
we  found,  at  the  other  extremity  of  the  city,  the  American 
Mission,  and  heard  an  excellent  sermon  in  Arabic  from  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Crawford.  I  call  it  excellent ;  I  am  sure,  from 
my  subsequent  acquaintance  with  him,  it  was  so,  and  his 
manner  was  at  once  so  easy,  earnest,  and  eloquent,  that  I 
heartily  enjoyed  his  discourse  without  understanding  a  word 
of  it.  We  had  a  sermon  from  a  stranger,  in  English,  at  11 
o'clock;  and  in  the  aftei-noon  went  out  to  visit  the  ceme- 
tery of  the  martyrs  of  1860 — the  Christian  population  Avho, 
in  the  feai'ful  massacre  set  on  foot  by  the  Mohammedans 


DAMASCUS  TO  CONSTANTINOPLE.  397 

and  shared  by  the  Druses,  were  slain  in  this  city  to  the 
number  of  2500  men,  besides  women  and  children.  Far 
greater  would  have  been  the  slaughter  of  the  Christians 
had  not  the  hero  of  Algiers,  Abd  el  Kader,  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  persecuted.  More  by  his  valor  than  his  elo- 
quence he  saved  the  lives  of  at  least  15,000  w^hom  the  Mo- 
hammedans had  sworn  to  put  to  the  sword.  We  regretted 
much  that  this  noble  but  unfortunate  chieftain  was  not  in 
Damascus  during  our  stay.  We  desired  to  pay  our  respects 
to  the  hero  who  had  not  only  won  the  admiration  of  the 
world  by  his  valor  in  the  wars  of  Algiers,  and  its  sympa- 
thy by  the  treacherous  treatment  he  received  from  his 
French  conquerors,  but  who,  though  a  Mohammedan,  had 
stood  forth  as  the  defender  of  the  Christians  when  those  of 
his  own.  faith  were  fanatically  putting  them  to  the  sword. 
We  sent  him  our  cards,  but  he  was  on  the  Plains. 

Damascus  is  the  oldest  city  now  in  existence.  It  is  men- 
tioned in  the  time  of  Abraham,  the  steward  of  whose  house 
was  "  this  Eliezer  of  Damascus,"  and  its  interesting  record 
reaches  down  all  along  the  ages  to  the  present  time.  The 
city  covers  a  wide  extent,  and  with  its  suburbs,  wliich  are 
well  watered  and  green,  is  an  oasis  in  the  desert  in  which 
it  lies.  It  is  a  lovely  picture  as  seen  from  the  mountains, 
the  water-courses  and  the  irrigated  portion  of  the  plain  be- 
ing thicklv  studded  with  trees,  and  sliadino;  off  into  green 
fields  of  grain  that  at  length  are  lost  in  the  arid  desert. 
We  explored  its  quaint  old  streets,  which  have  more  of 
mao-nilicence  than  one  could  imao-ine  from  the  distant  view. 
The  bazars  are  busy  marts  of  trade,  well  supplied  with  the 
productions  and  fabrics  of  the  East.  The  khans,  the  ware- 
houses of  the  merchants,  are  many  of  them  solid  and  mag- 
nificent stone  structures,  surrounding  open  courts,  in  which 
the  ships  of  the  desert — camels — were  discharging  and  re- 
ceiving their  freights  of  silk  and  other  goods.  The  khan  of 
Esaad  Pasha  was  trulv  fforo-eous  in  its  architecture.  After 
going  through  the  bazars  and  khans,  we  climbed  the  moun- 
tain overlooking  tlie  great  plain  to  see  the  city  from  above, 


398 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


and  from  the  lonely  kiosk  upon  its  summit  had  the  view 
which  arrested  the  Prophet  Mohammed  when  he  exclaim- 
ed, "  Man  can  have  only  one  paradise ;  I  shall  not  enter 
this  below  lest  I  should  have  none  above,"  and  turned  back 


without  ever  entering  Damascus. 


Such  is  the  legend. 


DAMASCUS. 


Fresh  snow  had  fallen  upon  the  brow  of  Hermon  the 
morning  that  we  left  Damascus  on  our  way  back  to  Bey- 
rout,  and  when  the  sun  rose  it  shone  first  with  golden  and 
then  with  silver  light,  reflecting  the  glory  of  the  East  which 
was  poured  upon  it.  There  it  stands  as  it  has  stood  for 
thousands  of  years,  one  of  the  great  landmarks  on  which 
the  patriarchs  and  prophets  looked  long  before  it  was  trod 
by  Him  who  was  greater  than  them  all.  Mount  Hermon. 
in  the  opinion  of  many  Biblical  scholars,  was  the  scene  of 
the  Transfio-uration.  Even  now  it  shines  with  an  ineffable 
brightness,  as  if  still  in  the  light  of  that  glorious  One  whose 


DAMASCUS  TO  CONSTANTINOPLE.  399 

raiment,  when  on  the  mount,  "  became  shining  exceeding 
white  as  snow,  so  as  no  fuller  on  earth  can  white  them." 

At  Sturza,  in  the  vale  of  Coelo-Sja'ia,  a  portion  of  our 
party  struck  oif  to  the  north  to  the  ruins  of  Baalbec,  while 
we  returned  to  Beyrout,  reaching  the  outlook  upon  the  Med- 
iterranean early  in  the  afternoon  of  a  charming  day,  and 
enjoying  in  a  wonderfully  clear  atmosphere,  during  the 
long  zigzag  descent,  one  of  the  most  glorious  sights  of 
mountain,  and  plain,  and  sea  that  can  be  found  on  any  of 
the  heights  of  this  world.  In  descending  the  mountain  I 
heard  an  uproar  and  a  din  that  gathered  strength  as  we 
proceeded,  and  presently  w^e  were  in  the  midst  of  one  of 
those  clouds  of  locusts  that  in  all  ages  have  infested  Syria. 
A  public  order  had  been  issued  requiring  the  inhabitants 
to  turn  out  and  drive  the  locusts  into  the  sea.  The  people 
had  formed  an  extensive  line,  and  with  horns,  and  drums, 
and  pans,  and  any  thing  that  would  make  a  hideous  noise, 
were  pursuing  the  invaders,  which  were  fleeing  before  them. 
The  music  reminded  me  of  a  scene  I  had  witnessed  in  Bom- 
bay on  the  occasion  of  an  eclipse  or  the  moon,  wdien  the 
Hindoos  swarmed  in  the  streets  armed  with  the  same  weap- 
ons, hoping  by  their  insufferable  jargon  to  drive  away  the 
monster  that  was  swallowing  the  queen  of  night.  They 
were  both  successful.  The  Hindoo  monster  was  compelled 
to  disgorge— the  moon  came  out  as  bright  as  before  ;  and 
on  the  mountains  of  Lebanon  the  locusts  that  had  been  de- 
stroying all  the  greenness  of  the  earth,  unable  to  endure  the 
music,  moved  on  in  a  vast  cloud  toward  the  Mediterranean. 
Whether  they  reached  the  sea  and  were  drowned  I  do  not 
know. 

Once  more  we  were  afloat.  "We  had  again  said  the  fare- 
well, which  we  have  so  often  found  it  hard  to  say ;  the  an- 
chor was  lifted,  and  we  were  steaming  onward  through 
the  waves ;  the  city  at  the  foot  of  Lebanon  grew  dim  in 
the  distance — the  city  of  which  the  author  of  the  "  Cres- 
cent and  the  Cross,"  in  his  unrivaled  sketches  of  Eastern 
travel,  wrote :  "  Beautiful  Beyrout !  I  yield  to  thee   the 


400 


AIWUXD  THE  WOULD. 


palm  over  all  the  cities  of  the  earth ;"  tlie  mountains  grew 
darker  and  dimmer  in  the  twilio-ht,  and  nio-ht  at  leno-th 
settled  doM'n  over  the  sea. 

In  the  morning  we  touched  at  the  island  of  Cyprus,  the 
scene  of  a  strange  mixture  of  myths  and  traditions,  and 
history,  reaching  down  from  the  days  of  fable,  when  Ve- 
nus rose  from  the  foam  of  the  sea  in  all  her  beauty,  to  the 
days  of  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion,  when  the  island  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  Templars,  and  until  it  was  at  last  cap- 
tured by  the  Turks.  The  third  day  we  anchored  off  the 
harbor  of  Rhodes,  where  once  stood  the  famed  Colossus, 
one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the  world.  The  same  even- 
ing we  sailed  along  the  shores  of  "  the  isle  that  is  called 
Patmos,"  to  which  the  beloved  disciple  of  Jesus,  the  Apos- 
tle John,  was  banished  in  the  persecution  under  Domitian, 
the  scene  of  the  apocalyptic  vision.  On  the  fourth  day,  as 
the  sun  was  lifting  its  face  above  the  hills  that  overhans" 


__,:k^  -^i*^^ 


DAMASCUS  TO  CONSTANTINOPLE.  49 ^ 

the  city  of  Smyrna,  we  entered  the  deep  harbor  and  an- 
chored off  the  town.  The  country  around  was  greener 
and  fresher  than  any  we  had  seen  since  leaving  the  shores 
of  Japan,  always  excepting  the  tropical  shores  near  the 
eqnator.  The  city  was  smiling  in  the  morning  light  as  if 
conscious  of  its  surroundings,  and  of  its  own  beauty  as 
seen  from  the  sea.  It  had  other  attractions  for  one  of  our 
number,  and  a  few  hours  were  most  agreeably  spent  in  the 
society  of  friends,  and  in  an  excursion  to  the  hill  on  which 
stand  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  castle.  Here  we  received 
the  usual  welcome  from  a  score  of  Mohammedan  boys,  a 
general  stoning,  which  greeting  was  returned  until  they 
dispersed  over  the  hill. 

Smyrna  is  memorable  as  one  of  the  many  cities  in  which 
Homer  was  born,  and  still  more  sacred  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Christian  as  the  scene  of  the  martyrdom  of  Polycarp,  to 
whom,  as  "  the  Angel  of  the  Church  in  Smyrna,"  accord- 
ing to  Archbishop  Usher,  one  of  the  seven  epistles  of  the 
Apocalypse  was  addressed.  He  had  been  bishop  of  this 
church  more  than  eighty  years,  when,  in  one  of  the  Ro- 
man persecutions,  he  was  summoned  to  judgment.  As 
he  was  led  out  to  the  place  of  execution,  the  proconsul, 
ashamed  to  put  to  death  so  venerable  a  man,  besought  him 
to  blaspheme  Christ  and  save  his  life,.  It  was  then  that 
he  uttered  those  heroic  words :  "  Eie-htv-six  years  have  I 
served  liim ;  during  all  this  time  he  never  did  me  any  in- 
jury;  how  then  can  I  blaspheme  my  King  and  Saviour?" 

Leaving  Smyrna  toward  evening,  we  stopped  at  Myti- 
lene,  touched  the  next  day  at  Tenedos,  Dardanelles,  and 
Gallipoli,  and  on  the  following  morning  at  sunrise  were  in 
sight  of  the  domes  and  minarets  of  Stamboul. 

Cc 


402  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


XXXI. 

STAMBOUL  TO  NAPLES. 

Almost  the  only  place  in  all  the  world  where  the  smile 
of  heaven  through  pleasant  skies  forsook  ns  was  at  Con- 
stantinople. Circumstances  had  shortened  my  stay  in  Pal- 
estine and  Syria  so  that  1  reached  this  stage  of  the  jour- 
ney a  month  earlier  than  I  had  arranged  on  leaving  home, 
and  a  month  too  soon  to  enjoy  the  beauties  of  Stamboul 
and  the  Golden  Horn  of  the  Bosphorus.  We  sailed  up  the 
Sea  of  Marmora  and  rounded  Seraglio  Point  in  the  midst 
of  a  drizzling  rain,  which  changed  to  snow  soon  after  we 
landed ;  the  snow  continued  to  fall,  or  rather  to  drive  im- 
petuously for  two  whole  days ;  and  for  nearly  three  weeks 
it  was  almost  incessant  rain.  Not  for  a  day,  no,  not  for  an 
hour  in  all  this  time  did  the  sun  come  out  and  shine  upon 
us  as  it  had  shone  for  nearly  a  year.  Those  were  dismal 
days  in  which  to  see  the  glories  of  the  Orient,  although 
very  conducive  to  enjoyment  in  the  many  circles  of  friends 
which  we  found  in  Stamboul  and  scattered  along  the  Bos- 
phorus. One  can  appreciate  friends  five  or  six  thousand 
miles  away  fi'om  home,  when  the  heavens  are  weeping 
over  him,  and  there  were  many  associations  that  made  the 
society  at  this  place  peculiarly  agreeable  to  some  of  us. 

Of  all  the  cities  that  I  have  visited,  Constantinople  prop- 
er is  the  last  to  be  chosen  for  a  season  of  rain  and  mud; 
but,  despite  all  difiiculties,  we  made  the  tour  of  the  mosques, 
palaces,  bazars,  and  other  places  of  renown,  and,  after  wait- 
ing in  vain  for  the  skies  to  clear,  we  saw  the  Bosphorus  and 
the  Golden  Horn  under  a  cloud.  If  I  do  not  celebrate  the 
beauties  of  this  part  of  the  Orient,  it  must  be  because  I  saw 
them  only  in  deep  shadows,  and  other  pens  will  more  than 


STAMBOUL  TO  NAPLES. 


403 


supply  all  that  may  be  lacking  in  these  sketches.  The  next 
time  that  we  go  to  Constantinople  it  shall  be  on  the  first  of 
May. 

The  political  condition  of  this  part  of  the  world  remains 
unchanged,  while  progress  is  the  order  of  the  day  East  and 
West.  Turkey  is  still  Turkey.  Its  government  is  the 
most  effete,  inefficient,  irresponsible,  and  at  the  same  time 
despotic,  with  which  civilized  nations  have  any  thing  to  do, 
and  Constantinople,  in  one  way  or  another,  is  a  centre  of  in- 
terest to  nearly  all  the  nations  of  the  West.  In  the  prov- 
inces the  government  is  even  worse  than  at  the  capital.  In 
the  vocabulary  of  Turkish  officials  Justice  has  no  name, 
excepting  as  it  is  represented  by  the  Turkish  synonyms  of 
bribery  or  influence.  What  is  to  be  the  future  of  Turkey 
is  still  one  of  the  problems  over  which  philanthropists  and 
diplomatists,  and  especially  the  powers  of  Europe,  are  exer- 
cised. Almost  any  change  would  be  for  the  better;  it 
could  scarcely  be  for  the  worse.  A  radical  change  of  some 
kind  is  needed  to  bring  Turkey  into  sympathy  with  the  rest 
of  the  world,  but  the  present  government  is  past  reform. 

There  are  some  signs  of  a  waking  up  among  the  differ- 
ent nationalities  which  compose  the  population  of  the  cap- 
ital. The  press,  and  steam,  and  the  telegraph  are  doing 
their  work.  I  noticed,  in  passing  up  and  down  the  Bos- 
phorus  from  day  to  day,  that  nearly  every  man  on  the 
steamer  had  his  morning  or  evening  paper.  There  are 
now  published  at  Constantinople  four  daily  papers  in  Turk- 
ish, one  of  which  has  a  weekly  illustrated  edition  for  la- 
dies, printed  on  embossed  paper,  and  another  for  children. 
There  are  three  dailies  in  Greek  and  three  in  Armenian. 
Besides,  there  are  numerous  weekly  papers  in  Turkish,  Ar- 
menian, Bulgarian,  Arabic,  etc.,  the  most  of  which  are  own- 
ed and  conducted  by  natives. 

The  revival  of  evangelical  religion  among  the  Armenian 
population  has  been  a  part  of  the  history  of  the  times,  and 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  movements  in  connection  with 
missionary  labor  in  any  part  of  the  East.     Forty  years  ago 


404  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

the  Rev.  William  Goodell  and  his  wife  landed  at  Constan- 
tinople, the  first  Christian  missionaries  to  this  place  from 
America.  Others  joined  them  and  took  up  the  work,  men 
and  women  whose  names  will  not  be  forgotten  so  long  as 
tlie  Sim  and  moon  endure  —  Schauffler,  Kiggs,  Hamlin, 
Dwight,  Bliss,  with  many  younger.  Some  of  the  early  la- 
borers I  found  toiling  on  in  the  field,  but  others  have  gone 
to  their  rewai'd,  having  finished  their  labors.  The  work- 
men die,  but  the  work  goes  on  here  as  elsewhere.  Twenty- 
five  years  ago  there  were  only  about  a  hundred  Ai'menians 
who  had  embraced  the  evans^elical  faith.  There  are  now 
in  Turkey  seventy  churches,  with  3200  members,  and  the 
movement  has  extended  all  over  the  empire.  Two  thirds 
of  the  churches  which  are  the  fruit  of  missionary  labor 
have  native  pastors,  and  nearly  half  of  these  are  self-sup- 
porting. In  1847  there  were  only  about  500  recognized  as 
Protestants ;  there  are  now  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand. 

Scarcely  any  other  city  has  such  a  cosmopolitan  popula- 
tion. This  is  indicated  by  the  number  of  languages  in 
which  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  circulated.  I  learned  from 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Bliss,  the  Secretary  of  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety for  Turkey,  that  there  had  been  circulated  within  the 
last  twelve  years  333,415  copies  of  the  Scriptures,  includ- 
ing the  whole  Bible  in  Arabic,  Arinenian,  Armeno-Turkish, 
Osmanlee  -  Turkish,  Greco  -  Turkish,  Hebrew,  Wallachian, 
Hungarian,  Servian,  Judseo-Spanish,  English,  French,  Ger- 
man, Italian,  Latin,  Swedish,  Portuguese,  and  Dutch,  with 
the  New  Testament  in  Russian,  Bulgarian,  Albanian,  Syri- 
ac,  Slavic,  Ancient  Greek,  and  Ancient  Armenian,  with  the 
Gospels  in  Koordish — thirty  languages  in  all.  These  are 
not  all  the  languages  spoken  at  this  cosmopolitan  city. 

While  I  was  at  the  hotel  at  Pera  an  American  gentle- 
man arrived  who  had  been  in  Constantinople  before.  In 
speaking  of  his  former  visit,  he  said  to  me  very  enthusiast- 
ically, "  There  is  one  thing  in  this  city  that  you  must  not 
fail  to  see.  Of  course  you  have  been  to  the  Mosque  of  St. 
Sophia,  and  up  and  down  the  Bosphorus  and  the  Golden 


STAMBOUL  TO  NAPLES.  .  405 

Horn,  and  have  seen  the  Sultan  and  all  that,  but  there  is 
one  thino;  that  you  must  not  fail  to  see."  Before  he  con- 
eluded  his  impressive  injunction  1  had  become  rather  im- 
patient to  know  vehat  it  was,  when  he  added, "  It  is  Dr. 
Hamlin."  He  then  gave  me  an  account  of  the  circum- 
stances in  which  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  this  remark- 
able man.  He  came  there  a  stranger,  fell  sick,  and,  having 
heard  the  name  of  Dr.  Hamlin,  sent  for  him,  and  was  speed- 
ily cured.  Dr.  Hamlin  happens  to  be  a  Doctor  of  Divinity, 
but  there  is  scarcely  any  science  or  art  in  which  he  is  not 
worth}^  of  the  highest  degree.  I  assured  my  friend  that  I 
had  long  enjoyed  his  acquaintance. 

Robert  College,  so  liberally  endowed  by  Christopher  E. 
Eobert,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  and  now  established  on  its  beau- 
tiful site  upon  the  Bosphorus,  owes  its  existence  in  a  great 
measure  to  Dr.  Hamlin,  the  president,  by  whose  persever- 
ance it  secured  a  local  liabitation.  Year  after  year  the 
Turkish  government,  in  its  usual  dilatory  way,  ^vitllheld  its 
sanction  for  the  location  and  erection  of  the  building.  Dr. 
Hamlin  neglected  no  opportunity  to  press  his  application. 
Once,  after  a  longer  interval  than  usual,  he  applied  through 
some  intercessor,  when  Ali  Pasha,  the  late  Grand  Vizier, 
gave  vent  to  his  desires  in  the  impatient  inquiry, "  "Will 
that  Dr.  Hamlin  never  die  ?"  And  so,  to  get  rid  of  him, 
seeing  he  would  not  die,  he  gave  him  permission  to  build. 

After  once  deferring  our  departure  another  week  in  hope 
of  brifjhter  skies,  we  at  length  went  on  board  the  steamer 
bound  for  Athens  in  the  midst  of  a  storm  of  snow,  and  hail, 
and  rain,  one  of  the  most  forbidding  days  of  our  sojourn. 
We  had  scarcely  reached  the  Sea  of  Marmora  before  the 
sun  burst  forth  from  the  clouds  to  cheer  us  on  our  voyage, 
and  to  tantalize  us  with  the  remembrance  of  all  the  days  of 
o-loom  in  which  his  face  had  been  hid.  But  we  had  the 
satisfaction  to  learn  that  we  had  escaped  a  perilous  voyage 
on  the  steamer  by  which  I  had  engaged  passage  the  week 
previous.  She  was  overtaken  by  a  storm  on  the  Sea  of  Mar- 
mora, and  lay  all  night  in  the  lee  of  an  island  waiting  for 


406  *  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

the  morning,  all  on  board  having  no  little  apprehension  in 
regard  to  the  result. 

We  did  not  trust  ourselves  to  the  Turkish  or  Greek  steam- 
ers, which  are  to  be  avoided  by  all  who  seek  either  comfort 
or  safety  in  sailing  on  the  Mediterranean.  Those  belong- 
ing to  the  Sultan's  navy  are  splendid  specimens  of  naval 
architecture,  and,  as  they  ride  at  anchor  in  line  on  the  Bos- 
phorus,  make  a  formidable  appearance,  but  I  heard  many 
stories  not  at  all  to  the  credit  of  the  men  who  commanded 
them.  A  Turkish  naval  officer,  once  sent  with  his  ship  to 
Malta,  was  gone  about  three  weeks,  at  the  expiration  of 
which  time  he  turned  up  at  Constantinople,  and  reported 
that  he  had  searched  diligently,  and  there  was  no  such  place 
in  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Another  was  sent  to  Jaffa,  and, 
after  cruising  up  and  down  the  Syrian  coast,  returned  with 
the  report  that  he  could  not  find  it.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
those  who  have  command  of  the  passenger  steamers  have  a 
better  knowledge  of  the  sea,  but  I  never  felt  disposed  to 
test  their  nautical  skill.  On  the  Mediterranean  I  invaria- 
bly took  either  the  French  or  the  Austrian  steamers,  be- 
tween which  there  was  little  to  choose  ;  they  are  both  good, 
well  officered,  and  well  managed. 

We  left  Constantinople  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
and  had  fine  weather  through  the  Sea  of  Marmora  and  the 
Archipelago  to  the  shores  of  Greece.  The  second  night 
out  we  retired  not  expecting  to  be  on  shore  before  morn- 
ing, but  about  half  past  one  we  were  roused  with  the  cry 
that  the  lights  of  the  Piraeus  were  in  sight,  and  that  we 
must  be  prepared  to  land  within  a  few  minutes. 

Far  worse  than  starting  off  by  night  in  a  stage-coach  is 
being  roused  from  sleep  to  be  set  ashore  in  a  small  boat,  on 
some  strange  coast,  in  a  dark  night.  But  the  same  familiar 
stare  on  which  we  had  looked  at  home  from  early  child- 
hood, and  which  were  as  familiar  as  the  faces  of  sisters  and 
brothers,  were  looking  down  and  smiling  upon  us,  and  si- 
lently whispering  to  our  hearts  that  above  them  was  an  eye 
that  never  sleeps.     We  dropped  anchor  about  a  mile  from 


STAMBOUL  TO  NAPLES. 


407 


the  landing.  As  we  were  rowed  ashore  in  the  quiet  star- 
light I  heard  the  sound  of  approaching  oars,  and,  knowing 
that  friends  who  were  some  days  in  advance  of  us  would 
probably  take  the  steamer  that  we  were  leaving,  I  called  a 
name,  and  heard  over  the  waters  an  answering  voice — 
"  All's  well !" — and  so  we  passed  ;  the  boatmen  not  even 
resting  on  their  oars,  we  were  able  only  to  exchange  this 
transient  salutation  in  the  darkness.  We  found  a  carriage 
in  waiting  on  the  shore,  and  within  an  hour  were  at  the 
hotel  in  Athens,  about  six  miles  distant,  and  had  a  pleasant 
sleep  before  the  morning  appeared. 

Our  steps  were  first  directed  to  the  Acropolis,  the  centre 
of  Athens  and  of  all  Greece.  We  climbed  the  heights 
crowned  with  the  ruins  of  the  most  perfect  structure  of 
antiquity,  and  looked  out  upon  the  theatre  of  so  many 
grand  events  in  the  history  of  the  classic  age ;  upon  the 
ruins  of  temples,  and  arches,  and  amphitheatres,  and  down 
upon  Mars  Hill,  where  Paul  stood  before  an  assembly  of 
Athenian  philosophers  and  preached  Jesus  and  the  resur- 
rection; and  upon  the  Pnyx,  where  Demosthenes  enchained 
with  his  eloquence  the  crowds  who  gathered  round  the  ros- 
trum ;  and  out  over  the  grand  panorama  of  Lower  Greece 
to  the  same  old  mountains  on  which  the  eyes  of  sages  and 
orators,  poets,  and  sculptors,  and  warriors  had  looked  cen- 
turies ago,  when  Greece  was  in  her  glory.     The  Acropolis, 


KlilKZE   OF   THE   VAK■1UE^(J^. 


408  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

with  its  commanding  height,  its  magnificent  temples,  its 
peerless  sculpture,  and  its  crowning  feature,  the  colossal 
statue  of  Minerva,  of  ivory  and  gold,  a  landmark  to  the 
mariner  at  sea  as  well  as  to  the  dweller  on  the  Plains, 
might  well  be  called  "  the  eye  of  all  Greece." 

We  were  strongly  urged  to  make  an  excursion  to  the 
Plains  of  Marathon,  but  I  declined  for  prudential  reasons, 
which  soon  after  had  melancholy  force.  I  had  escaped  the 
Bedouins  in  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  while  others  were 
compelled  to  pay  tribute,  and  not  without  risk  to  their  lives. 
I  was  well  aware,  and  so  was  every  traveler  at  the  time, 
that  the  Greek  brigands  were  no  more  scrupulous  in  re- 
gard to  the  rights  of  property,  and  that  they  were  on  the 
alert  for  prey.  They  have  a  very  unhappy  way  of  detain- 
ing for  ransom  those  who  happen  to  fall  into  their  hands, 
and  occasionally  sending  back  an  ear  or  a  finger  if  the  ran- 
som is  delayed.  I  assured  my  urgent  friends  that  I  was 
not  willing  to  run  one  risk  in  fifty  of  paying  a  heavy  ran- 
som, or  of  losing  my  ears  for  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  a  lit- 
tle more  of  the  classic  soil  of  Greece,  and  I  was  somewhat 
laughed  at  for  my  prudence. 

At  the  same  hotel  where  we  were  staying  was  a  party 
who  determined  to  make  the  excursion.  Their  fate  soon 
after  shocked  the  whole  civilized  world.  They  left  in  the 
morning  for  Marathon  in  high  spirits,  but  before  night  they 
were  all  in  the  hands  of  the  brigands.  The  ladies  of  the 
party  were  released  and  sent  back  to  Athens.  Lord  Mon- 
caster  was  subsequently  sent  to  negotiate  the  ransom  of  his 
companions,  and  escaped.  The  rest  were  murdered  and 
horribly  mutilated. 

Peturning  to  the  Pirasus  l\y  carriage  in  preference  to  the 
rail,  we  crossed  in  the  night  to  the  island  of  Syra,  and  took 
the  Austrian  steamer  for  Corfu.  The  next  day  we  rounded 
Cape  Matapan,  usually  a  stormy  point  with  a  turbulent  sea, 
but  on  this  occasion  the  elements  were  enjoying  a  holiday, 
the  winds  were  off  duty,  and  the  waves  asleep.  In  the  aft- 
ernoon we  were  off  the  Bay  of  Navarino,  where  the  deci- 


STA3IB0UL  TO  NAPLES.  409 

sive  battle  was  fonglit  in  1827  between  the  Turkish  and 
Egyptian  navies  on  the  one  side,  and  the  allied  British, 
French,  and  Russian  fleets  on  the  other.  It  was  the  de- 
struction of  the  Turkish  power  on  the  sea  and  the  libera- 
tion of  Greece.  In  the  course  of  the  day  we  passed  Cepha- 
lonia,  the  Sanios  of  Homer,  and,  later  in  the  day,Zante, "  the 
Flower  of  the  Levant,"  of  which  some  writer  extravagantly 
says, "  Zante  is  especially  delightful  in  spring,  when  the 
fragrance  of  the  flowering  vineyards,  orange-trees  and  gar- 
dens, floats  for  miles  over  the  surrounding  sea." 

The  next  morning  we  were  entering  the  Gulf  of  Corfu, 
and  one  of  the  most  beautiful  scenes  that  we  had  looked 
upon  in  all  our  travels,  reminding  us  of  the  Inland  Sea  of 
Japan,  was  before  ns.  The  day  was  perfectly  serene.  The 
sun  rose  in  great  splendor,  and  poured  upon  land  and  sea  a 
flood  of  gorgeous  light.  Not  a  ripple,  not  even  a  dimple, 
was  on  the  face  of  the  water  to  break  the  reflection  of  the 
shores.  As  we  rounded  the  point  of  the  citadel,  a  rocky 
height  of  great  strength  and  greater  beauty,  overgrown  with 
vines  of  the  richest  green,  the  picturesqueness  of  the  scene 
was  such  as  the  pen  will  not  describe.  The  day  we  spent 
in  driving  about  the  charming  island  was  one  of  the  days 
to  be  recalled  when  we  are  looking  into  the  memories  of 
the  past  for  some  lovely  nook  in  which  to  tind  rest  from 
the  weariness  of  toil  and  care. 

We  could  have  tarried  much  longer  with  great  delight, 
but,  finding  a  steamer  that  was  to  sail  in  tlie  evening,  and 
uncertain  when  we  should  be  able  to  leave  again,  we  went 
on  board,  and  the  next  morning  were  landed  at  Brindisi,  a 
place  that  has  acquii-ed  new  importance.  It  is  the  Brun- 
dusium  of  the  ancient  Bomans,  and  was  once  their  chief 
naval  station.  It  was  also  the  southeastern  terminus  of  the 
ancient  Appian  Way,  and,  in  the  completion  of  one  of  those 
remarkable  cycles  which  not  unfrequently  occur  in  the  his- 
tory of  nations  and  countries,  has  become  the  terminus  of 
the  great  railway  from  London  and  Faris  to  the  East.  The 
most  direct  route  to  Egypt  and  India,  and  the  most  speedy, 


410  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

is  now  tbrougli  the  Mont  Cenis  Tunnel  to  Brindisi,  whence 
the  steamer  leaves  for  Alexandria. 

Brindisi  is  a  good  place  to  stop  at,  provided  one  is  not 
detained.  We  tarried  just  twelve  hours  longer  than  was 
desirable,  landing  at  seven  in  the  morning,  and  leaving  at 
the  same  hour  in  the  evening.  "With  nothing  to  see,  and 
nothing  to  do  but  to  wait  for  the  evening  train,  the  hours 
passed  on  leaden  wheels.  It  was  rainy  without  and  damp 
within ;  the  new  Grand  Hotel  des  hides  Orientales,  then 
scarcely  completed,  was  dripping  with  wet,  and  we  sat  and 
meditated  on  fevers  and  rheumatism  until  the  cars  kindlv 
bore  US  away,  bound  for  Xaples. 

In  crossing  the  mountain  range  between  the  eastern  and 
western  shores  of  Italy,  we  were  transferred,  for  a  few 
miles,  from  the  cars  to  the  diligence,  the  tunnel  not  being 
completed.  We  were  here  reminded  once  more  of  bandit- 
ti— the  Italian  brigands,  who  belong  to  the  same  fraterni- 
ty with  the  Greeks  and  Bedouins,  whose  hands  we  had  es- 
caped.  They  have  the  same  habit  of  picking  off  stragglers 
and  picking  up  baggage.  The  conductor  prepared  for  them 
by  placing  the  baggage-wagons  under  the  protection  of  the 
passenger  train  of  carriages,  and  we  crossed  the  mountain 
without  ha\'ing  a  sight  of  their  muskets. 

I  know  of  no  other  part  of  Italy,  unless  it  be  the  plain 
of  Sardinia,  that  bears  the  marks  of  such  fertility  or  of 
such  careful  cultivation  as  the  region  north  of  Xaples.  It 
is  a  vast  plain,  the  soil  is  rich  and  easily  tilled,  and  every 
rood  is  improved.  The  trees  are  trimmed  far  up,  destroy- 
ino;  their  beauty  to  a  e;reat  deo-ree,  but  lettino;  in  the  sun 
and  air  upon  the  fields ;  while  the  vines  are  festooned  from 
tree  to  tree  above  the  growing  crops,  giving  the  country  a 
holiday  aspect.  The  peasantry  of  Italy  belong  to  a  differ- 
ent race  from  the  dwellers  in  the  towns.  They  are  more 
industrious  in  their  habits,  and  large  sections  of  the  coun- 
try, devoted  to  corn  and  the  vine,  attest  their  thrift. 

In  entering  Kaples  one  is  struck  with  the  yagabond,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  lively  character  of  the  mass  of  the  peo- 


STAMBOUL  TO  NAPLES.  ^W 

pie.  Tliev  swarm  every  where,  like  Ijees  that  ai-e  just  ready 
to  desert  a  hive  that  has  become  too  close  to  contain  them. 
They  live  in  the  open  air,  not  only  seeking  their  amuse- 
ments and  attending  to  their  ordinary  business  out  of 
doors,  but  cooking  and  eating  in  the  very  thoroughfares  of 
the  city.  All  seem  bent  on  catching  the  pleasures  of  the 
day  as  if  there  were  no  to-morrow.  Formerly  the  beggars 
constituted  one  of  the  most  striking  features  of  Neapolitan 
street  life.  They  were  your  escort  in  entering  the  city, 
coming  out  in  crowds,  sometimes  for  miles,  to  meet  the 
public  conveyances.  They  were  unremitting  in  their  at- 
tentions as  long  as  you  staid,  never  failing  to  take  off 
their  hats  to  you  whenever  you  made  your  appearance  in 
the  streets,  and  when  you  were  leaving  they  followed  you 
out  of  town,  wishing  you  e^ery  blessing  by  all  the  saints  if 
you  answered  their  demands,  and  cursing  you  by  the  whole 
calendar  if  you  did  not.  Many  of  them  had  a  merry  way 
of  begging,  thro^ving  somersaults,  or  playing  a  tune  upon 
their  chins,  or  cutting  antics  to  attract  attention,  like  the 
merriest  creatures  alive,  when  they  would  tell  you,  as  the 
next  thing,  that  they  were  dying  of  hunger,  and  ask  for  a 
little  money  for  the  love  of  the  Madonna.  The  whole 
kingdom  of  Naples,  and,  for  aught  I  know,  adjacent  king- 
doms, had  been  raked  and  scraped  to  gather  in  the  halt, 
the  maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind,  and  all  the  miserable  and 
disgusting  objects  that  could  be  found,  as  so  much  capital 
on  which  to  drive  the  thriving  trade  of  begging,  one  of 
the  principal  branches  of  business  in  Naples,  and  not  the 
least  profitable  either.  But  that  is  now  changed,  and  one 
can  go  into  and  out  of  Naples,  and  stay  there,  with  com- 
paratively little  annoyance  from  this  source. 

The  Bay  of  Naples  I  regard  as,  beyond  comparison,  the 
finest  single  view  in  the  world.  It  has  a  combination  of 
beautiful  features  and  of  interesting  associations  that  clus- 
ter around  no  other  spot.  The  bay  itself  has  a  graceful 
sweep  of  thirty  or  forty  miles  within  the  islands  placed  at 
its  moutli  as  sentinels  to  ward  off  the  towering  waves  that 


412  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

come  rolling  in  from  the  sea.  Its  waters  are  almost  as 
blue  as  the  vault  of  the  sky  above  it.  At  tlie  centre  of  its 
broad  sweep  stands  the  genius  of  the  scene,  the  beautiful, 
majestic,  living  mountain,  that  has  no  equal ;  gi-acef ul  in 
its  outlines,  and  standing  alone  in  its  grandeur,  like  Fusi- 
yama,  the  glory  and  pride  of  Japan.  No  other  mountain 
has,  for  my  eye,  such  a  power  of  fascination.  I  have  nev- 
er looked  upon  it,  from  whatever  point,  or  how  often  soev- 
er, that  it  has  not  had  the  same  strange,  fresh  interest,  as 
if  I  had  never  seen  it  before.  It  seems  to  be  a  living 
thing.  There  it  stands,  year  after  year,  gently  breathing 
out  its  vapor,  like  breath  upon  the  frosty  air,  that  floats 
away  and  is  soon  dissipated.  When  in  a  state  of  eruption 
the  signs  of  life  are  far  more  striking. 

The  top  of  Vesuvius  is  the  best  point  from  which  to  take 
in  the  beauties  of  the  bay  and  its  surroundings.  To  the 
west  lie  the  islands  that  form  an  important  element  in  the 
perfection  of  the  view.  To  the  south  are  Sorrento  and  other 
sunny  towns,  with  the  blue  mountains  towering  up  behind 
them.  The  bright,  gay  city  of  Naples  stretches  for  miles 
along  the  shore  to  the  north.  In  the  distance  stands  the 
tomb  of  Virgil,  and  farther  on  the  town  of  Pozzuoli,  the 
ancient  Puteoli,  the  terminus  of  the  Appian  Way,  at  which 
Paul  landed  on  his  memorable  journey  to  Rome,  when  he 
appealed  to  Caesar's  judgment.  Farther  on  are  Baise  and 
Cumse,  the  summer  resorts  of  the  Roman  emperors  and 
men  of  wealth,  the  Newport  of  those  days,  where  they 
erected  splendid  palaces,  and  reveled  in  luxury  and  dis- 
play. The  ruins  of  their  magnificent  summer  palaces,  which 
were  built  out  into  the  sea,  and  overhung  the  heights, 
stretch  for  miles  along  the  shores.  From  these  same  shores 
and  their  surroundings  Virgil  took  the  scenery  of  his  ^ne- 
id.  Here  are  Lake  Avernus,  and  the  River  Styx,  and  the 
Elysian  Fields.  Here,  too,  are  the  Sibyl's  caves.  No  part 
of  Italy,  not  even  Rome  itself,  with  its  suburbs,  was  more 
consecrated  by  the  homes  and  writings  of  her  emperors, 
and  orators,  and  bards. 


STA3IB0UL  TO  NAPLES.  413 

At  the  foot  of  Vesuvius  lie  the  long-buried  cities  of 
Herculaneuni  and  Pompeii,  revealed  to-day  after  slumber- 
ing forgotten  for  eighteen  centuries.  A  world  of  interest 
gathers  around  them  as  we  look  down  into  the  silent,  de- 
serted streets,  that  so  long  ago  were  filled  with  a  bustling 
crowd,  and  then  in  one  dark  storm  were  overwhelmed. 

In  what  part  of  the  world  can  so  much  that  is  beautiful 
in  scenery,  so  much  that  is  fraught  with  classic  interest, 
and  so  much  that  stirs  the  heart  with  tragic  recollection,  be 
seen  at  a  single  glance  as  from  the  heights  of  this  burning 
mountain  ?  And  this  is  an  indication  of  what  the  traveler 
has  to  occupy  his  time  and  his  attention  in  his  sojourn  at 
the  sunny  city  of  Naples.  It  requires  many  days  to  make 
the  various  excursions,  but  I  shall  not  attempt  to  conduct 
the  reader  through  them  all. 

Vesuvius  was  a  burning  mountain  two  thousand  years 
before  the  Christian  era.  Its  fires  were  extinguished  and 
slumbered  for  a  while,  but  just  about  the  time  that  Paul 
landed  at  Puteoli  it  was  seized  with  convulsions ;  the  whole 
region  was  shaken,  and  several  towns  were  laid  in  ruins. 
The  memorable  eruption  in  which  Herculaneum  and  Pom- 
peii were  overwhelmed,  the  former  by  lava,  and  the  lattei* 
by  the  shower  of  ashes,  occurred  in  the  year  79.  The 
younger  Pliny,  wlio  witnessed  it,  states  that  about  one 
o'clock  in  the  day  he  saw  a  strange  cloud  overhanging  the 
plain  of  Naples,  like  a  huge  pine-tree  shooting  up  to  a 
great  height  and  stretching  out  its  branches.  Tliis  singu- 
lar cloud,  which  seemed  to  be  composed  of  earth  and  cin- 
ders, excited  his  curiosity,  and  he  embarked  in  a  boat  to 
cross  the  bay  and  examine  into  it.  As  he  approached  the 
coast,  the  red-hot  cinders  and  stones  fell  into  the  boat,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  retreat.  He  proceeded  to  Stabise  to 
spend  the  night  with  a  friend,  but  before  morning  they 
were  driven  to  the  fields  by  the  shaking  of  the  house. 

The  morning  came,  but  it  brought  no  relief.  One  shock 
of  earthquake  succeeded  another,  as  if  the  foundations  of 
the  v7orld  were  giving  way.     The  sea  receded  from  the 


414  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

shore.  The  mountain  poured  forth  a  mass  of  flame  and 
burning  rock,  and  the  cloud  of  cinders  spread  over  the  bay 
and  over  the  land.  They  attempted  again  to  escape  to  a 
safer  distance,  and  joined  the  crowd  that  was  surging  on- 
ward. Pliny's  father  had  already  perished.  He  led  his 
mother  by  the  hand,  and  fearing  she  would  be  pressed  to 
death,  proposed  to  step  aside  and  suffer  the  crowd  to  pass 
by.  He  says :  "  We  had  scarce  stepped  out  of  the  path 
when  darkness  overspread  us — not  like  that  of  a  cloudy 
night,  or  when  there  is  no  moon,  but  of  a  room  when  it  is 
shut  up  and  all  the  lights  are  extinguished.  Nothing  was 
to  be  heard  but  the  shiieks  of  women,  the  screams  of  chil- 
dren, and  the  cries  of  men  ;  some  calling  for  their  children, 
others  for  their  parents,  others  for  their  husbands,  and  only 
distinguishing  each  other  by  their  voices ;  one  lamenting 
his  own  fate,  another  that  of  his  family ;  some  wishing  to 
die  from  the  very  fear  of  dying ;  some  lifting  their  hands 
to  the  gods ;  but  the  greater  part  imagining  that  the  last 
and  eternal  night  was  come  which  was  to  destroy  the  gods 
and  the  world  together." 

This  was  the  most  fearful  eruption  on  record.  Many 
of  less  account  have  since  occurred,  the  most  remarkable 
in  1V79,  in  which,  according  to  Sir  Wilham  Hamilton,  the 
molten  lava  was  thrown  in  jets  to  the  height  of  10,000  feet. 
More  than  once  have  the  sides  of  the  mountain  broken  in 
while  the  melted  lava  poured  out  of  its  sides,  and  ran  in 
streams  toward  the  plain  below.  In  1855  I  made  the 
ascent  of  the  mountain,  reaching  the  top  of  the  cone,  and 
looking  down  into  the  abyss.  It  was  then  comparatively 
quiet ;  only  the  presage  of  a  coming  explosion  was  notice- 
able. Soon  after  I  had  left  the  pent-up  fires  broke  forth ; 
the  lava  came  rushing  down  in  broad  streams,  filling  up 
the  ravines,  and  moving  onward  toward  the  sea.  At  night 
the  mountain  cast  up  a  fiery  mass,  and  flames  marked  the 
course  of  the  burning  tide.  The  green  trees,  encircled  by 
the  red-hot  lava,  generated  steam,  and  then  exploded  with 
terrific  noise,  scattering  the  lava  in  all  directions,  and  mak- 


UTAMBOUL  TO  NAPLES.  415 

ing  tlie  scene  still  more  brilliant  by  setting  fire  to  the  trees, 
which,  with  the  mountain  itself,  illuminated  the  whole  Bay 
of  Naples,  and  the  surrounding  cities  and  country. 

Herculaneum  was  buried  too  deep  in  solid  lava  ever  to 
be  excavated  to  any  great  extent,  but  the  larger  part  of 
Pompeii  has  been  reclaimed,  and  one  may  now  walk  for 
miles  through  its  streets  and  among  its  buildings.  He  need 
not  lose  his  way ;  many  of  the  streets  still  have  the  names 
upon  the  corners,  as  in  modern  cities.  The  ancient  pave- 
ment, rutted  deep  by  the  carriage-wheels,  remains  intact, 
not  equal,  it  is  true,  to  the  Belgian,  but  as  firm  as  when  it 
was  laid  eio-hteen  centuries  ao-o. 

Entering  the  homes  of  the  Pompeians  as  they  were  dis- 
covered, we  find  in  them  bracelets  and  jewels,  some  of  ex- 
quisite workmanship,  gold  and  precious  stones.  Here  are 
writing  materials;  ink-stands  and  pens;  lamps,  as  they 
went  out  when  Pompeii  was  extinguished ;  thimbles,  and 
distaffs,  and  spinning-wheels — in  short,  the  whole  catalogue 
of  a  woman's  domestic  life,  together  with  all  the  parapher- 
nalia of  the  toilet,  even  to  the  rouge  and  false  hair.  (The 
apothecaries'  shops  have  on  hand  a  large  quantity  of  cos- 
metics, showing  that  they  were  in  great  demand.) 

The  cellars  were  stored  with  wine,  and,  although  the  old 
Falernian  has  long  since  evaporated,  the  amphorae,  or  earth- 
en jars  which  contained  the  wine,  stand  in  rows  along  the 
walls.  In  the  house  of  Diomede,  one  of  the  most  exten- 
sive and  elaborately  ornamented  villas,  situated  near  one 
of  the  gates  of  the  city,  were  large  numbers  of  wine- jars  of 
great  size.  This  house,  being  remote  from  the  centre  of 
the  town,  was  evidently  resorted  to  by  the  friends  of  the 
owner  as  a  place  of  comparative  safety ;  but  more  persons 
probably  lost  their  lives  in  it  than  in  any  other.  The  skel- 
etons or  forms  of  seventeen  persons  were  found  in  the  cel- 
lars. On  the  women  were  found  gold  necklaces,  and  brace- 
lets, and  other  ornaments.  Two  were  little  children,  whose 
heads  were  still  covered  with  beautiful  hair.  In  one  of 
the  houses  in  Pompeii  two  of  the  bodies  are  kept  in  a  glass 


416  AROUXD  THE  WORLD. 

case,  the  attitudes  and  posture  of  the  limbs  expressing  the 
mortal  agony  which  came  upon  them.  Diomede  himself 
(or  one  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  owner  of  the 
villa  bearing  his  name)  was  found  near  the  garden  gate 
with  a  purse  of  gold  and  other  valuables  in  his  hand,  while 
an  attendant  stood  by  his  side  grasping  the  key  to  the  gate. 
Some  of  the  houses  have  the  names  of  the  owners  inscribed 
on  the  outer  wall,  especially  those  of  a  more  imposing  char- 
acter. Among  the  familiar  names  is  that  of  "  C.  Sallust." 
The  house  of  Pansa,  thus  marked,  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
city,  contained  five  skeletons  when  it  was  opened. 

The  shops,  with  their  contents,  are  as  great  a  curiosity  as 
the  homes.  Some  of  them  are  extensive,  the  property  of 
wealthy  citizens,  from  which  they  derived  their  incomes. 
There  are  several  bakeries,  or  cook-shops,  in  perfect  preser- 
vation, from  which  large  quantities  of  viands  liave  been 
taken.  In  some  the  bread  was  found  standing  in  the  ovens. 
The  notices  around  the  doors  and  in  the  interior  show  that 
the  art  of  advertising  is  not  a  modern  invention.  In  one 
of  the  villas  was  found  the  following  poster : 

"Julia  has  TO  LET  for  five  years, 
A  BATH,  A  VENERIUM,  NINETY  SHOPS, 

WITH   TERRACES  AND   UPPER   CHAMBERS." 

They  are  still  without  tenants,  although  they  have  been  ad- 
vertised 1800  years. 

Xearly  every  thing  found  in  the  houses  and  shops  at 
Pompeii  is  preserved  in  the  National  Museum  at  Xaples, 
one  of  the  most  interesting  collections  of  antiquities  in  the 
world.  By  its  help  we  can  readily  refurnish  the  luxurious 
but  now  deserted  homes,  see  how  their  inmates  lived,  and 
learn  more  of  their  domestic  history  than  from  any  other 
source.  One  can  study  and  muse  for  days  over  this  ex- 
traordinary collection,  and  find  his  interest  growing  deeper 
every  hour  that  he  lino;ers. 

Before  leaving  Xaples  we  drove  to  the  cities  of  its  own 
dead,  among  the  characteristic  features  of  the  ])lace.  The 
Protestant  cemetery  is  a  neat  church-3'ard  in  tlie  outskirts 


STAMBOUL  TO  NAPLES.  417 

of  the  town.  The  cypress  here  waves  over  the  grave  of 
many  a  stranger  who  has  died  far  away  from  tlie  friends 
and  scenes  of  home,  but  flowers  also  bloom  profusely  in 
this  sweet  resting-place  of  those  who  have  no  more  seas  to 
cross,  and  no  farther  journey  in  life  to  make.  After  lin- 
gering to  note,  by  the  various  inscriptions,  from  how  many 
lands  the  sleepers  had  come,  we  drove  to  the  Cam])o  Santo 
Vecchio,  the  great  charnel-house  of  Naples.  It  contains 
three  hundred  and  sixty-five  pits,  under  a  wide,  paved 
square.  Every  evening  the  stone  which  covers  one  of 
these  pits  is  removed,  and  the  common  dead  of  the  city  for 
the  day  are  thrown  into  it,  without  even  a  winding-sheet  to 
cover  them.  The  old  man  and  the  child,  the  rough  lazza- 
roni  and  the  tender  maiden,  are  dropped  in  together,  and 
lie  in  one  indiscriminate  mass ;  quick-lime  is  thrown  in  to 
consume  the  bodies,  and  the  pit  is  sealed  for  another  year, 
to  be  opened  at  its  close.  We  did  not  wait  to  witness  the 
revolting  scene,  although  the  city  carts  were  arriving  with 
the  dead,  but  drove  to  the  Campo  Santo  Nuovo,  the  ceme- 
tery for  the  aristocratic  dead,  and  here  I  was  surprised  to 
find  a  burial-ground  laid  out  with  refined  taste,  shaded  with 
the  cypress  and  other  trees,  and  adorned  with  tombs  of  the 
most  costly  description.  Many  of  them  were  in  the  form 
of  chapels  built  of  fine  Italian  marble,  elaborately  finished. 
After  what  I  had  heard  of  the  burial  of  the  dead  at  Na- 
ples, and  after  what  I  had  seen  at  the  Campo  Vecchio,  it 
was  a  relief  to  enter  one  that  indicated  so  much  refine- 
ment of  feeling. 

Dd 


418  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 


XXXII. 

HOME  TO  FLORENCE. 

The  old  route  from  Naples  to  Kome  along  the  sea. 
through  Terracina  and  Mola  di  Gaeta,  was  far  more  pic- 
turesque than  the  present  route  by  rail,  and  one  could 
fully  enjoy  it  when  traveling  leisurely  by  vettura.  I  was 
once  several  days  on  the  way,  spending  a  night  at  Terra- 
cina in  a  storm,  when  the  wild  waves  came  rolling  in  from 
the  sea,  dashing  against  the  walls  of  the  hotel,  and  threat- 
ening to  wash  away  its  very  foundations.  It  was  quite 
equal  to  being  rocked  in  the  cradle  of  the  deep.  The  true 
way  to  see  Italy  is  not  to  whirl  through  it  by  the  rail-car, 
but  to  take  the  old  modes  of  conveyance.  But  every  mode 
has  its  advantages,  although  no  gain  in  time  can  compen- 
sate for  the  loss  of  the  charming  Italian  scenery,  and 
glimpses  of  Italian  country  life  which  were  once  enjoyed 
in  traveling  througli  the  interior  and  along  the  shores. 

On  reaching  the  Roman  frontier,  for  the  first  time,  and, 
I  may  add  also,  the  last  time  in  all  our  journey  around  the 
world,  a  demand  was  made  for  passports.  We  had  trav- 
eled from  one  end  of  Asia  to  the  other,  through  Egypt  and 
Syria,  European  Turkey  and  Greece,  and  thus  far  in  Italy, 
without  being  called  upon  to  declare  our  nationality,  or  ob- 
tain permission  to  go  or  come.  But  now,  as  we  were  en- 
tering the  estate  of  his  holiness  the  Pope,  we  must  needs 
go  through  the  old  investigation.  In  no  respect  has  a 
greater  change  come  over  the  countries  of  Europe,  and  es- 
pecially those  having  Roman  Catholic  rulers,  than  in  the 
abolition  of  the  passport  system,  and  it  is  one  of  the  many 
significant  indications  of  the  progress  of  religious  freedom, 
as  well  as  of  the  principles  of  free  government.     Several 


ROME  TO  FLORENCE.  419 

years  since  I  had  traveled  over  the  route  I  was  now  taking, 
and,  upon  reaching  home,  found  that  my  passport  had  on 
it  eighty-seven  vises^  or  official  seals  and  signatures,  as  evi- 
dence of  my  having  been  permitted  to  enter  and  leave  dif- 
ferent countries  and  cities,  and  in  nearly  every  instance  it 
was  where  Koman  Catholic  influence  was  predominant.  In 
going  even  from  Eome  to  Naples  and  returning,  fifteen  oi- 
twenty  examinations  were  required.  The  fact  that  in  my 
recent  journey,  of  which  I  am  now  writing,  my  passport 
was  only  once  exhibited  in  the  entire  circuit  of  the  earth, 
is  a  volume  of  testimony  in  regard  to  the  progress  which 
the  world  has  been  making,  and  also  in  regard  to  the 
waning  power  of  popery  as  a  political  element.  Passports 
are  no  longer  required  even  at  the  gates  of  Rome.  They 
belong  to  an  order  of  things  that  has  passed  away  even  at 
Rome. 

It  was  nio-ht  when  we  reached  the  Alban  Hills  and  came 
out  upon  the  heights  that  overlook  the  Campagna  and  the 
city  of  the  Caesars,  and  we  could  study  the  scene  only  in 
imagination,  peopling  it  with  the  multitudes  of  the  past  in- 
stead of  the  present.  As  we  entered  Rome  we  found  it  il- 
luminated in  commemoration  of  the  anniversary  of  the  re- 
turn of  Pius  IX.  from  his  long  but  voluntary  exile  after  the 
occurrence  and  success  of  the  Revolution  of  1848.  I  call  it 
voluntary  because  he  was  in  no  sense  compelled,  excepting 
by  his  fears,  to  flee  or  to  remain  in  exile.  When  he  was 
chosen  pope  in  1846,  he  entered  upon  a  course  of  reform, 
and  corrected  many  of  the  abuses  which  had  become  hoary 
with  the  lapse  of  time.  He  established  his  temporal  gov- 
ernment on  a  sort  of  popular  basis,  and  gave  the  people  a 
taste  of  liberty,  which  led  to  their  taking  the  government 
into  their  own  hands.  Pius  IX.  was  personally  popular, 
nor  was  there  at  any  time  the  least  disposition  to  interfere 
with  his  position  or  power  as  head  of  the  Church.  On  the 
assassination  of  his  minister,  Count  Rossi,  the  pope  became 
alarmed,  and  fled  in  disguise  to  Mola  di  Gaeta,  within  the 
territory  of  King  Ferdinand  of  Naples.     As  soon  as  his  de- 


420  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

parture  from  Home  became  known,  a  deputation  of  emi- 
nent citizens  was  appointed  to  wait  on  him  and  urge  his  re- 
turn, with  the  assurance  that  there  would  be  no  interfer- 
ence with  his  dignity  or  his  functions  as  the  head  of  the 
Church.  But  the  reactionary  cardinals  had  him  in  their 
liands,  and  would  allow  no  interview,  and  under  their  ad- 
vice he  remained  in  exile  until  the  French  army  had  sup- 
pressed the  rising  liberties  of  the  people  and  re-established 
the  temporal  tyranny  of  a  spiritual  power.  The  freedom 
which  the  city  of  Rome  is  now  enjoying  is  that  which  its 
people  won  for  themselves  by  their  own  right  arms  in  1848, 
and  which  was  subsequently  wrested  from  them  by  French 
bayonets  alone.  Never  were  claims  to  temporal  power 
more  false  than  those  wliich  are  now  urged  in  behalf  of 
the  pope. 

A  somewhat  striking  coincidence  marked  my  coming  to 
Rome.  I  had  reached  the  city  in  1854  while  the  council 
was  in  session  that  adopted  the  dogma  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception  as  an  article  of  the  faith  of  the  Church.  I 
stood  at  that  time  near  the  high  altar  in  St.  Peter's  on  the 
day  of  its  public  announcement,  and  heard  the  pope  read 
it  from  beofinnino;  to  end.  His  heart  had  been  set  on  mak- 
ing  this  declaration,  and  cardinals,  and  bishops,  and  digni- 
taries of  all  degrees  were  called  from  all  parts  of  the  earth 
to  bow  to  his  will  and  say  that  it  was  the  will  of  God.  He 
read  the  Latin  with  a  feeble  voice,  weeping  as  he  read  it, 
and  it  was  generally  thought  at  the  time  that  this  would  be 
the  expiring  act  of  his  pontificate.  I  reached  Rome  again 
in  season  to  be  present  in  St.  Peter's  at  the  first  public  ses-, 
sion  of  the  Council  of  1870,  and  heard  the  same  pope  an- 
nounce the  dogma  De  Fide  preliminary  to  the  impious 
claim  of  infallibility.  He  was  feebler  than  before,  with 
more  than  fifteen  years  added  to  his  age,  but  there  was  the 
same  iron  will  before  w^iich  all  inferior  ecclesiastics  have 
been  made  to  bow.  The  utterance  of  this  impious  assump- 
tion of  divine  prerogatives  was  the  signal  for  the  providen- 
tial destruction  of  his  temporal  as  well  as  sj^iritual  power. 


BOME  TO  FLORENCE.  421 

Once,  as  we  learn  from  sacred  writ,  auotiier  ruler, "  Herod, 
arrayed  in  royal  apparel,  sat  upon  his  throne  and  made  an 
oration.  And  the  people  gave  a  shout,  saying.  It  is  the 
voice  of  a  god,  and  not  of  a  man.  And  immediately  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  smote  him  because  he  gave  not  God  the 
glory,  and  he  was  eaten  of  worms,  and  gave  up  the  ghost.'' 
Pius  IX.  survives,  but  almost  immediately  upon  the  utter- 
ance of  his  dogma,  and  the  shout  of  the  people, "  It  is  the 
voice  of  a  god,  and  not  of  a  man,"  his  throne  crumbled 
and  fell,  and  his  spiritual  power  over  those  who  acknowl- 
edged his  supremacy  is  fast  passing  away. 

With  modern  Rome  and  with  the  remains  of  the  ancient 
city  every  intelligent  reader  is  familiar,  and  I  should  not 
attempt  any  general  description  even  did  my  space  permit. 
I  shall  refer  only  to  one  or  two  of  its  innumerable  objects 
of  interest. 

The  first  point  to  which  I  bent  my  steps  on  entering 
Rome  was  not  the  Church  of  St.  Peter,  nor  the  Vatican, 
nor  the  Coliseum,  but  a  monument  that  stands  on  the  an- 
cient Via  Sacra,  in  some  respects  the  most  interesting  ob- 
ject in  the  ancient  or  modern  city.  It  is  the  smallest  of  the 
triumphal  arches,  and  is  known  as  the  Arch  of  Titus.  It 
bears  the  following  inscription  : 

Senatvs. 

popvlvsqve  romanvs. 

Divo.  Tito.  Divia.  Vespasiana. 

Vespasiano.  Avgvsto. 

This  arch  was  erected,  to  commemorate  the  conquest  of  Je- 
rusalem. While  at  the  head  of  the  army  before  the  walls 
of  the  Holy  City,  Vespasian,  upon  the  death  of  ISTero,  was 
proclaimed  emperor.  He  hastened  back  to  Rome,  leaving 
Titus  in  command,  who,  upon  the  fall  of  the  city  and  the 
destruction  of  the  Temple,  made  a  triumphal  march  into 
Rome,  bringing  with  him  a  long  train  of  captive  Jews,  to- 
gether with  the  spoils,  among  which  were  the  sacred  vessels 
of  the  Temple.  It  is  this  procession  which  is  commemora- 
ted in  the  beautiful  arch.     The  great  interest  6i  the  bas-re- 


422  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 

lief  is  in  the  fact  that  it  supphes  a  place  in  the  illustration 
of  the  Bible  which  can  be  tilled  from  no  other  source.  It 
is  the  only  visible  representation  that  exists  of  those  sa- 
cred vessels,  the  patterns  of  which  were  received  fi-om 
heaven. 

The  fi-ieze  of  the  arch  is  ornamented  with  sculpture — a 
procession  of  warriors  leading  oxen  to  sacrifice.  Upon  a 
side  panel  of  the  interior  is  a  group  representing  Titus  in 
the  act  of  celebrating  his  triumph  over  the  Jews.  He 
stands  in  a  chariot  drawn  by  four  horses  abreast,  accompa- 
nied by  the  senators  of  Kome,  and  officei-s  bearing  the  fas- 
ces. The  sculptured  form  of  Victory  holds  a  wreath  of 
laurel,  with  which  she  is  about  to  crown  the  conqueror. 
Upon  the  opposite  side,  on  a  similar  panel,  is  the  celebrated 
group  bearing  the  sacred  vessels  of  the  Jewish  Temple. 
First  comes  a  standard-bearer  leading  the  way,  with  a  can- 
opy or  arch  supported  above  his  head.  The  table  of  shew- 
bread,  with  a  cup  and  the  silver  trumpets  used  by  the  priests 
of  the  Temple  to  proclaim  the  year  of  jubilee,  is  borne  on 
staves.  Other  bearers  follow,  carrying  chaplets  of  laurel, 
and  the  golden  candlestick  with  its  seven  branches.  In 
size  and  form  these  bas-reliefs  correspond  precisely  with 
the  descriptions  of  the  sacred  record  and  the  minute  de- 
scriptions of  Josephus.  Little  did  those  ancient  pagans — 
the  Koman  senate  and  the  Roman  people — when  decree- 
ing and  erecting  this  monument  to  a  deified  warrior,  imag- 
ine that  they  were  erecting  a  monument  to  the  true  God  in 
the  verification  of  prophecy  and  divine  history,  and  little 
did  they  suppose  that,  after  nearly  two  thousand  years,  the 
disciples  of  that  faith  which  they  had  already  begun  to  per- 
secute even  unto  cruel  death  would  come  from  distant  lands 
to  read  the  record  and  to  be  confirmed  in  their  faith.  The 
Jews  of  modern  Kome  are  said  to  be  the  descendants  of  the 
captives  which  Titus  brought  from  Jerusalem  to  grace  his 
triumph.  Not  one  of  them,  even  at  this  day,  will  pass  un- 
der the  Arch  of  Titus,  although  it  spans  one  of  the  thor- 
ouo-hfares  of  the  citv.     Thev  shun  it  as  a  memorial  of  the 


ROME  TO  FLORENCE.  423 

subjugation  of  their  nation,  a  fall  which  has  never  yet  been 
retrieved. 

One  of  the  most  perfect  and  most  striking  of  the  relics 
of  pagan  Eome  is  the  Pantheon.  It  has  lost  its  external 
beauty  in  the  covering  of  marble,  but  its  massive  walls  and 
the  form  of  the  building  remain  just  as  when  erected  sev- 
eral years  before  the  Christian  era.  It  is  still  a  wonder  of 
architecture,  faultless  in  its  beautiful  and  grand  proportions, 
and,  notwithstanding  its  simplicity,  it  is  to  me  the  most  im- 
pressive of  the  ancient  or  modern  buildings  of  Eome.  It 
stands  in  what  was  formerly  the  Campus  Martins,  where  it 
was  surrounded  by  the  buildings  belonging  to  the  Thermse 
of  Agrippa,  and  was  reached  by  a  flight  of  steps,  all  of 
which  must  have  added  greatly  to  its  effect.  Now  it  is  in 
one  of  the  meanest  corners  of  the  city,  and  is  scarcely  on  a 
level  with  the  adjacent  streets.  The  portico,  which  is  re- 
garded as  a  model,  is  110  feet  long,  forty-four  in  depth,  and 
is  composed  of  sixteen  Corinthian  columns  of  Oriental 
granite,  each  one  of  which  is  a  single  block  or  shaft.  They 
are  forty-six  and  a  half  feet  in  height,  and  fifteen  in  cir- 
cumference. The  entablature  and  pediment  are  still  per- 
fect, and  the  frieze  bears  the  following  inscription,  extend- 
ing along  the  entire  front : 

M.  AGRIPPA.     L.  F.  COS.  TERTIVM  FECIT. 

The  massive  bronze  doors  are  acknowledged  by  the  best  au- 
thorities to  be  those  set  up  by  Agrippa.  Although  nearly 
forty  feet  in  height,  and  having  swung  upon  their  hinges 
for  nineteen  centuries,  they  may  still  be  moved  by  the  hand 
of  a  child.  The  building  is  circular,  143  feet  in  diameter, 
or  more  than  400  feet  in  circumference.  The  walls,  which 
are  twenty  feet  in  thickness,  rise  to  the  height  of  seventy 
feet,  when  they  pass  into  one  vast  dome,  the  centre  of  which 
is  143  feet  above  the  pavement.  The  dome  is  more  im- 
pressive than  that  of  St.  Peter's,  and  one  peculiarity  adds  a 
charm  to  that  impression  such  as  I  have  never  found  in  any 
other  building.     The  dome  is  open  at  its  centre,  the  aper- 


424  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

ture  being  twenty-seven  feet  in  diameter.  It  was  never 
closed,  even  by  glass,  and  the  storms  of  nearly  two  thousand 
years  have  beaten  through  it  and  fallen  upon  the  pavement 
below.  This  might  seem  a  defect,  but  it  constitutes,  in  re- 
ality, its  most  beautiful,  if  not  its  grandest  feature.  The 
circular  walls  are  unbroken  by  windows,  and,  when  the 
massive  bronze  doors  are  closed,  this  aperture  in  the  dome 
is  the  only  source  of  light,  and  communicates  directly  with 
the  heavens  above.  One  can  look  up  and  see  the  clouds 
floating  by,  or  gaze  into  the  blue  ether,  while  the  lower 
world  is  shut  out  by  walls  which  no  earthly  sounds  can 
penetrate.  The  poetry  and  sublimity  of  this  conception 
for  a  temple  may  be  imagined.  It  excludes  all  things  ter- 
restrial— opens  heaven  alone  to  the  worshiper,  and  that,  too, 
without  any  intervening  medium. 

An  anecdote  characteristic  of  Roman  morals  is  related 
in  a  manuscript  narrative  of  the  sack  of  Rome,  preserved 
at  the  Vatican.  When  Charles  V.  visited  Rome  in  1536, 
he  ascended  the  roof  of  the  Pantheon,  and  looked  down 
through  the  aperture  from  above.  A  young  Roman  whr> 
had  been  ordered  to  accompany  him  afterward  confessed 
to  his  father  that  he  was  strongly  tempted  to  push  the  mon- 
arch over  on  the  pavement  below,  a  depth  of  nearly  150 
feet,  in  revenge  for  the  sack  of  the  city  a  few  years  before. 
The  wily  old  Italian  said, "  My  son,  such  things  should  be 
done,  and  not  talked  about." 

Tlie  Pantheon  has  been  stripped  of  all  its  costly  orna- 
ments, leaving  only  its  simple  grandeur  to  delight  the  eye. 
Formerly  the  outer  walls  were  faced  with  marble,  which  is 
now  all  gone.  The  vast  dome  was  covered  with  gilded 
bronze,  and  its  interior  either  lined  or  profusely  ornament- 
ed with  silver.  The  plates  of  bronze  that  covered  the  roof, 
and  the  silver,  were  removed  by  Constans  II.,  A.D.  655, 
and  afterward  taken  to  Alexandria.  Pope  Urban  YIII. 
completed  the  plunder  of  the  building  by  taking  the  bronze 
beams  of  the  portico  to  form  the  baldachino  of  the  high 
altar  of  St.  Peter's,  and  to  cast  cannon  for  the  castle  of  St. 


,  ROME  TO  FLORENCE.  425 

Aiigelo.  This  pope  belonged  to  the  Barberini  family,  and 
used  a  part  of  the  plunder  to  ornament  the  Barbenni  pal- 
ace. Pasquin,  the  mediasval  oracle  of  Rome,  made  the  fol- 
lowing record  of  its  final  desecration:  Quod  nonfecerunt 
Barlari  Boince,fecerunt  Barherini.  (What  the  Barbari- 
ans left  of  Rome,  the  Barberini  destroyed.)  The  prince  of 
painters,  Raphael,  who  was  a  great  admirer  of  the  sublime 
structure,  requested  that  he  might  be  buried  within  its 
walls.  When  he  died,  his  body,  together  with  his  last  and 
noblest  work,  the  Transfiguration,  was  exposed  for  three 
days  in  the  Pantheon,  and  visited  by  crowds,  who  gazed 
upon  both  with  equal  interest,  but  with  different  emotions. 
His  remains  were  afterward  deposited  in  a  niche  formed 
in  the  w^alls,  and  the  spot  is  now  marked  by  a  simple  slab 
with  an  inscription  in  Latin.  For  many  years  the  Academy 
of  St.  Luke,  an  association  of  artists,  had  a  skull  in  their 
possession,  said  to  be  Raphael's.  As  doubts  had  arisen  in 
regard  to  the  actual  resting-place  of  the  immortal  master 
of  the  pencil,  it  was  determined  in  1833  to  settle  the  ques- 
tion by  an  examination  of  his  tomb.  It  was  accordingly 
opened  in  the  presence  of  several  ecclesiastical  dignitaries 
and  artists,  and  the  skeleton  was  found  entire  just  as  it  had 
been  entombed.  The  relics  w^ere  replaced,  inclosed  in  an 
antique  marble  sarcophagus  from  the  Vatican  Museum. 
Of  course  the  skull  in  the  possession  of  the  Academy  of  St. 
Luke  lost  its  value,  notwithstanding  it  had  often  awakened 
the  admiration  of  phrenologists,  who  had  found  the  paint- 
er's bump  strikingly  developed.  But  perhaps  it  did  belong 
to  a  great  artist.    Who  knows  ? 

The  ardent  student  of  classical  poetry  and  history  (which 
in  ancient  times  were  often  identical)  is  greatly  scandalized 
in  coming  to  the  banks  of  the  Tiber,  Instead  of  a  mighty 
river  commensurate  with  its  fame,  he  finds  a  small,  muddy 
stream,  scarcely  any  where  two  hundred  yards  wide.  The 
mud,  the  narrowness,  the  very  swiftness  of  its  current,  as 
if  it  were  hurrying  away  to  the  sea  to  escape  observation, 
are  too  much  for  him  at  the  first  glance.     But  as  he  gazes, 


426  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

the  events  which  ages  ago  crowded  around  its  banks,  and 
which  were  known  and  felt  the  world  over,  come  up  before 
him  like  a  grand  procession,  and  it  is  no  longer  the  insig- 
nificant stream,  but  the  river  of  ancient  Rome.  That  is 
distinction  enough.  It  matters  little  to  an  ordinary  trav- 
eler whether  the  stories  of  ^neas,  and  of  Romulus  and 
Remus,  are  myths  or  veritable  history.  Very  few  who  come 
to  Italy  have  any  purpose  or  desire  to  settle  the  questions 
of  fancy  and  of  fact  with  which  the  early  days  of  Rome 
are  euNironed.  This  is  left  for  the  Kiebuhrs  whose  tastes 
incline  them  in  that  direction.  It  is  far  more  pleasant  (and, 
for  all  practical  purposes  at  the  present  day,  it  is  just  as 
well)  to  do  as  we  did  when  school-boys — accept  as  history 
the  story  of  the  founder  of  Rome  cast  by  the  waters  of  the 
Tiber  upon  the  spot  where  he  afterward  built  the  city. 

The  river  is  always  turbid.  Virgil  is  the  only  author 
who  calls  it  coerulean,  and  this  was  a  stretch  of  poetic  li- 
cense quite  beyond  the  mark.  Upon  what  the  fancy  was 
founded  it  would  be  difficult  to  tell.  It  often  overflows  its 
banks  as  in  ancient  times,  and  the  Campus  Martins,  on 
which  the  modern  city  is  chiefly  built,  becomes  inuiidated. 
The  height  of  the  water  is  marked  upon  columns  standing 
on  the  river  bank  in  the  Via  Ripetta,  and  also  upon  the  fa- 
§ade  of  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Sopra  Minerva,  in  the 
very  heart  of  the  city,  where  the  marks  are  some  ten  or 
twelve  feet  above  the  pavement.  I  have  seen  the  pave- 
ment of  the  Pantheon  several  feet  under  water,  so  that  the 
building  could  be  entered  only  by  boats.  Treasures  of  art 
have  often  found  their  way  into  the  river,  which,  if  they 
could  be  recovered,  would  bring  in  the  art  markets  of  the 
world  immense  prices.  Statuary  more  perfect,  and  perhaps 
more  beautiful  than  any  of  the  works  of  the  ancient  mas- 
ters that  are  now  jDreserved  in  the  Vatican,  doubtless  lie 
imbedded  in  groups  in  the  muddy  bottom.  The  famous 
banker  of  the  time  of  Leo  X.,  Agostino  Chigi,  gave  to  the 
pope  and  his  cardinals  a  splendid  and  costly  entertainment, 
at  which  the  dishes  were  all  of  the  precious  metals.     It  is 


ROME  TO  FLORENCE.  427 

said  that  when  the  feast  was  over  they  were  thrown  into 
the  Tiber  by  the  order  of  the  rich  banker,  that  no  less  ilhis- 
trious  quests  nii2;ht  use  them.  There  is  a  tradition  that 
the  sacred  vessels  of  the  Jewish  Temple,  brought  from  Je- 
rusalem, among  them  the  golden  candlestick,  were  lost  or 
thrown  from  the  Milvian  Bridge  and  never  recovered. 

There  is  nothing  connected  with  the  antiquities  of  Rome 
that  Christian  travelers  visit  with  deeper  interest  than  the 
Catacombs,  although  few  venture  far  into  their  dark  and 
intricate  recesses.  These  narrow  passages,  some  of  wliich 
are  sixty  or  seventy  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
run  in  all  directions  under  the  city  and  under  the  Cam- 
pagna.  The  whole  country  is  honey-combed  by  tliem,  and 
it  is  said  that  in  ancient  times  there  was  communication 
through  them  from  Rome  to  the  sea,  fifteen  or  twenty 
miles  distant.  The  openings  or  entrances  are  few,  but  it 
is  not  uncommon  for  riders  over  the  Campagna  to  break 
throuo-h  into  those  that  are  nearer  the  surface. 

Their  origin  is  not  absolutely  known — at  least  there  are 
no  authentic  records  of  their  excavation ;  but  it  is  alto- 
gether probable  they  were  formed  in  the  early  days  of 
Rome  by  digging  for  the  volcanic  sand  called  jpozzulana, 
which  was  used  extensively  in  making  the  Roman  cement 
for  the  erection  of  buildings — that  mortar  which  has  re- 
sisted the  action  of  the  elements  more  than  two  thousand 
years,  and  w^hich  bids  fair  to  last  as  long  as  the  stones 
themselves.  The  pozzulana  was  removed  in  the  same  way 
that  coal  is  dug — in  long  avenues  crossing  each  other  at 
various  angles,  leaving  enough  of  the  earth  or  rock  to  sus- 
tain the  superincumbent  mass.  They  have  fallen  in  at 
many  places,  completely  blocking  up  the  way,  and,  as  there 
is  always  danger  of  such  an  occurrence,  visitors  are  usu- 
ally taken  only  a  short  distance,  just  to  show  how  they  were 
formed,  and  for  what  purpose  they  were  subsequently  used. 
Sad  indeed  would  be  the  fate  of  those  who  should  be  bur- 
ied beneath  the  falling  mass,  and  sadder  yet  of  those 
whose  retreat  should  be  cut  off,  while  they  were  left  to 


428 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


GEOUND  PLAN  OF  THE  CATACOMBS. 


wander  hopelessly  until  compelled  by  weariness  and  weak- 
ness to  lie  down  and  die.  Some  thrilling  incidents  are 
related  as  warnings  to  those  who  enter,  and  to  repress  the 
curiosity  of  such  as  might  wish  to  exceed  the  limits  which 
prudence  has  assigned  to  the  exploration  of  these  subter- 
ranean passages.  Several  years  since,  fifteen  or  twenty 
youth,  connected  w4th  one  of  the  colleges  of  Rome,  ac- 
companied by  a  teacher,  descended  with  candles,  taking 
the  usual  precautions  to  secure  their  safe  return  to  the  light 


SOME  TO  FLORENCE.  429 

of  dav,  but  uot  one  of  thein  ever  came  out  to  tell  the  fate 
of  the  rest.  They  either  lost  their  way,  and  wandered  on 
in  hope  of  finding  the  path  that  would  lead  them  back 
until  compelled  by  exhaustion  to  lie  down  and  die,  or  the 
fall  of  the  earth  on  the  path  they  had  taken  cut  off  their 
escape.  Long  and  diligent  search  was  made,  but  to  this 
day  nothing  is  known  of  how  or  where  in  the  vast  laby- 
rinth they  were  overtaken  by  death.  The  imaginations  of 
those  who  go  down  into  those  dark  recesses  picture  many 
a  fearful  scene  which  no  words  have  power  to  express. 

Later  still,  an  artist  entered  the  Catacombs  alone,  pro- 
viding himself  with  a  ball  of  twine,  which  he  unwound  as 
he  wandered  on,  until  he  became  absorbed  with  the  records 
and  recollections  of  other  days.  When  he  came  to  himself, 
the  slender  thread  that  bound  him  to  the  outer  world  was 
missing ;  with  his  dim  taper  he  searched  for  it  in  vain  ;  at 
last  the  light  grew  dim,  and  was  then  extinguished.  In 
the  horror  of  despair,  he  groped  from  one  passage  to  anoth- 
er, until  at  last  he  stumbled  in  the  darkness,  and,  in  his 
struggles,  his  hand  caught  the  thread  which  brought  him 
back  to  the  world. 

The  peculiar  interest  attaching  to  these  Catacombs  is, 
that  during  the  early  ages  of  Christianity,  in  the  times  of 
persecutions  by  the  Roman  emperors,  they  were  the  resort 
of  Cln-istians  for  safety,  and  probably,  to  some  extent,  for 
worship.  They  formed  a  secure  refuge  for  those  who 
were  familiar  with  their  windings,  and  it  is  probable  that 
great  numbers  fled  to  them  to  escape  the  cruel  death  to 
which  they  were  devoted  by  their  persecutors.  Either  at 
the  time  they  were  thus  used,  or  subsequently,  they  became 
sepulchres  for  the  Christian  dead.  Niches  were  cut  longi- 
tudinally in  the  sides  of  the  long  corridors,  sometimes 
five  or  six  one  above  another,  in  which  the  dead  were 
deposited ;  they  were  then  closed  with  a  slab  of  marble 
or  terra  cotta,  and  sealed  with  cement.  In  this  way  they 
became  populous  cities  of  the  dead.  Not  thousands,  but 
hundreds  of  thousands,  were  here  laid  to  sleep  their  last 


430  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

sleep.  When  tliey  were  first  opened  the  bodies  were  in  all 
states  of  preservation  or  decay.  Some  retained  their  form, 
in  other  cases  the  skeletons  only  remained,  while  the  great 
multitude  had  crumbled  into  dust  or  had  entirely  disap- 
peared. 

The  entrances  to  the  Catacombs,  which  have  all  been  un- 
der the  strict  supervision  of  the  ecclesiastical  authorities, 
are  chiefly  through  or  in  connection  with  the  churches, 
and  are  few  in  number,  notwithstanding  the  limitless  ex- 
tent of  the  excavations.  The  one  most  accessible  and  most 
frequently  visited  by  strangers  is  at  the  Church  of  St.  Se- 
bastian, a  mile  or  more  on  the  Appian  Way,  outside  of  the 
walls  of  the  city.  I  had  several  times  been  into  this  as  far 
as  the  old  monk  in  charge  consented  to  act  as  guide,  and 
as  far,  probably,  as  he  was  familiar  with  the  windings  of 
the  way,  beyond  which  it  certainly  was  not  safe  to  venture 
alone,  as  a  single  turn  might  bewilder  any  one,  and  lead 
him  into  an  endless  labyrinth.  An  ecclesiastic  who  was 
visiting  Rome  to  be  present  at  the  council  entered  at  one 
time  with  our  party,  but  he  soon  became  alarmed,  and  en- 
treated US  not  to  go  farther,  as  we  must  needs  keep  togeth- 
er to  have  the  services  of  the  guide.  Having  seen  all  that 
was  to  be  seen  of  this,  I  was  desirous  to  make  a  more  ex- 
tensive examination  of  those  which  had  not  been  so  com- 
pletely rifled  of  their  contents,  and  learning  that  the  Cata- 
combs in  connection  with  the  Church  of  St.  Agnese,  in  an- 
other part  of  the  Campagna,  were  far  more  interesting  on 
this  account,  a  party  was  made  up,  application  was  made  to 
the  cardinal  vicar,  and,  through  the  intercession  of  an 
American  lady,  permission  to  enter  was  obtained.  An  in- 
telligent gentleman  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the 
place  and  with  its  history  was  deputed  to  accompany  us. 
We  spent  a  large  part  of  the  morning  appointed  for  the 
visit  in  wandering  through  the  silent  vaults,  which,  unlike 
the  others,  are  still  filled  with  the  crumbling  remains  of 
the  early  confessors  of  the  Christian  faith.  The  excava- 
tions are  much  more  regular,  and  on  a  larger  scale  than 


ROME  TO  FLORENCE.  43;} 

those  which  "sve  had  previously  seen.  Instead  of  being 
more  unsafe,  as  is  generally  supposed,  they  are  less  liable 
to  crumble  and  fall.  The  rock  in  which  the  excavations 
are  made  is  more  solid,  allowing  the  passages  to  be  cut  with 
more  exactness,  and  they  run  often  to  a  great  distance  in  a 
right  line.  The  roofs  are  vaulted  with  regularity,  and  the 
sides  cut  perfectly  square.  The  same  niches  occur  as  in 
the  other  Catacombs,  and  rise  one  above  another  to  the 
number  of  five  or  six,  but  they  have  not  been  touched  ex- 
cepting to  remove  the  slabs  and  inscriptions.  The  bones 
of  the  dead  by  hundreds,  and  even  thousands,  were  lying 
where  they  were  deposited  sixteen  or  eighteen  centuries 
ago.  Occasionally  they  were  in  a  state  of  preservation, 
and  not  unfrequently  were  covered  with  a  mineral  deposit 
from  the  drippings  of  the  rock  above,  which  had  assisted 
in  keeping  them  entire ;  in  many  cases  it  seemed  to  have 
produced  a  sort  of  petrification,  but  generally,  where  the 
form  of  a  body,  or  even  of  a  bone  appeared,  it  would  sink 
and  almost  vanish  under  the  touch,  all  substance  having 
gone.  The  teeth  were  occasionally  undecayed,  and,  as  I 
took  one  from  its  socket,  the  bone  to  which  it  had  been  at- 
tached sank  immediately  away. 

The  bodies  had  been  laid  in  their  narrow  couches  uncof- 
tined,  and,  as  the  slabs  had  been  removed,  all  that  remained 
of  the  sleepers  was  exposed  to  view  ;  but  there  was  nothing 
repulsive  in  the  sight,  as  there  would  be  in  an  ordinary 
charnel-house,  nor  any  thing  melancholy  in  the  place  itself. 
The  sacred,  Christian  associations  dispelled  such  thoughts. 
These  bodies,  which  had  been  slumbering  quietly  for  nearly 
two  thousand  years,  had  been  laid  away  in  the  hope  of  a 
coming  morning — the  morning  of  the  resurrection,  when 
the  dust  into  which  they  would  crumble  should  be  gather- 
ed again  and  reanimated,  to  meet  at  his  coming  Him  who 
is  the  resurrection  and  the  life.  Many  trembling  hearts 
had  been  driven  by  the  persecutors  into  these  recesses  to 
escape  the  sword  or  the  jaws  of  wild  beasts ;  but  when  they 
ceased  to  beat,  whether  through  violence  or  by  a  natural 


4-32  ABOUND  THE  WORLD. 

death,  they  were  all  and  forever  at  rest.  The  storms  of 
centuries  had  j-aged  above  their  heads,  armies  had  met  in 
deadly  conflict  on  the  soil  above  them,  but  they  slept  on  im- 
disturbed.  Instead  of  being  oppressed  with  sad  or  mourn- 
ful thoughts,  a  feeling  of  triumph — of  actual  joy,  came  over 
me  in  the  remembrance  of  the  glorious  victories  over  death 
and  every  other  foe  that  had  been  gained  by  the  host  around 
me.  After  fighting  the  good  fight  of  faith,  and  resisting 
unto  blood,  they  had  gone  up  to  receive  the  rew^ard  and  the 
crown  of  the  martyi'S. 

When  the  Catacombs  were  first  opened  inscriptions  were 
found  on  the  slabs,  some  of  them  rudely  cut,  and  not  un- 
frequently  they  were  accompanied  with  emblematical  de- 
vices expressive  of  Christian  hope  or  sentiment.  The  slabs 
were  removed  and  set  in  the  wall  of  the  long  corridor  lead- 
ing to  the  Museum  of  the  Vatican,  where  they  may  now  be 
seen.  Among  the  most  common  emblems  were  the  Three 
Children  in  the  Fiery  Furnace,  and  Daniel  in  the  Lions' 
Den,  doubtless  used  as  emblems  of  martyi'dom  ;  the  Good 
Shepherd,  with  a  Lamb  on  his  shoulders ;  Noah  at  the  win- 
dow of  the  Ark ;  the  Dove ;  an  Anchor ;  a  Fish,  the  signifi- 
cance of  which  as  an  early  Christian  emblem  is  well  known ; 
with  representations  of  the  miracles  of  Christ,  etc. 

I  give  but  a  few  specimens  of  the  multitude  of  inscrip- 
tions :  "  Valeria  dormit  in  pace"  (Valeria  sleeps  in  peace). 
''  In  pace  Domini  dormit"  (He  sleeps  in  the  peace  of  the 
Lord).  "  In  pace"  and  "  In  Christo"  occur  frequently. 
The  constant  occurrence  of  the  word  "  sleep"  as  a  synonym 
for  death  is  striking.  The  following  are  mere  translations 
of  inscriptions : 

"  Lannes,  the  martyr  of  Christ,  rests  here.  He  suffered 
under  Diocletian." 

"  In  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Adrian,  Marius,  a  young 
military  leader,  who  had  lived  long  enough  :  with  his  blood 
he  gave  up  his  life  for  Christ.  At  length  he  rested  in 
peace.  The  well-deserving,  with  tears  and  fears,  erected 
this  in  the  Ides  of  December,  VI." 


ROME  TO  FLORENCE.  433 

"  Here  lies  Gordianus,  deputy  of  Gaul,  murdered  with  all 
liis  famil}'  for  his  faith.  They  rest  iu  peace.  Theophila, 
his  maid,  erected  this." 

I  can  not  attempt  even  the  briefest  enumeration  of  the 
places  and  objects  of  interest,  ancient  and  modern,  which 
are  in  and  around  E,ome ;  it  is  a  world  in  itself,  and  I  have 
found  by  experiment  that  months  would  not  exhaust  the 
study.  The  Vatican,  the  Capitol,  the  ancient  and  modern 
palaces,  the  Coliseum,  the  churches,  which  are  also  reposi- 
tories of  art ;  the  Seven  Hills,  the  Appian  Way,  the  sub- 
urbs, Albano,  Frascati,  and  a  thousand  ruins,  each  one  of 
which  has  its  classic  historj^,  all  claim  the  attention  of  the 
traveler,  but  can  not  have  their  record  here.  There  is  no 
other  city  in  Europe  where  an  intelligent  traveler  can  tarry 
so  long  with  so  much  interest.  But  we  must  pass  on.  I 
can  not  do  so,  however,  without  expressing  my  own  pleasure 
in  the  thought  that  Kome,  which  I  had  seen  only  under  a 
dark  shadow — the  shadow  of  spiritual  despotism,  is  now  in 
the  liglit.  The  sun  is  shining  on  Home  as  it  has  not  shone 
for  many  long  centuries,  save  in  the  brief  period  after  the 
Ee volution  of  1848.  Its  people  walk  the  streets  breathing 
the  air  of  freedom — freedom  to  think  their  own  thoughts 
and  speak  their  own  words,  enjoying  the  protection  of  a 
liberal  government,  even  though  it  be  a  kingly.  Long  live 
Victor  Emanuel,  and  long  may  he  reign  over  United  Italy 
— at  least  so  long  as  he  pursues  the  enlightened  policy  which 
he  has  been  carrying  out  since  he  came  to  the  throne.  And 
ever  may  the  people  of  Rome  rejoice  in  freedom  from 
ghostly  tyranny,  the  most  oppressive  of  all  forms  of  despot- 
ism. The  temporal  power  of  tlie  pope  will  assuredly  never 
be  re-established  with  "  the  consent  of  the  governed." 

As  a  matter  of  necessity,  owing  to  the  arrangement  of 
the  trains,  we  made  a  night  journey  to  Florence,  entering  it 
in  the  morning,  and  greatly  enjoying  the  views  of  river,  and 
mountain,  and  vale  as  we  approached  the  city.  Victor 
Emanuel  can  not  liave  set  his  heart  upon  making  Eome 
the  capital  of  the  new  kingdom  of  Italy  on  account  of  its 

Ee 


434 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 


i^reater  beauty.  Tliore  is  no  inland  city  in  Europe  more 
superbly  located  than  Florence.  If  not  a  gem  in  itself,  the 
setting  makes  it  one.  The  surroundino^  lieio-hts,  with  the 
numerous  villas,  and  vineyards,  and  monasteries  that  crown 
the  hills,  make  the  sight  one  to  be  enjoyed  and  never  for- 
gotten. The  view  from  San  Miniato,  which  is  reached  by 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  drives  in  the  suburbs  of  any  city 
in  the  world,  can  scarcely  be  surpassed  by  any  mere  inland 
view. 


FLORENCE,  FEOM    SAN    MINIATO. 


And  Florence  is  as  attractive  as  ever  in  its  works  of  art. 
The  Uffizi  and  Pitti  Palaces,  the  treasure-houses  of  paint- 
ing, have  witnessed  revolutions  raging  around  them,  but 
their  pictures  and  other  treasures  remain  where  they  were. 
It  is  a  marvel  as  well  as  a  pleasure,  after  reading  of  the 
many  changes  in  the  government  of  these  lands,  to  find  its 
o-alleries  of  art  and  all  that  thev  contain  untouched.  The 
first  Napoleon  ruthlessly  despoiled  Italy,  but  the  sentiment 


ROME  TO  FLORENCE.  435 

of  the  world,  as  well  as  Lis  own  changing  fortunes,  com- 
pelled  him  to  restore  what  others  have  not  dared  to  touch. 
The  removal  of  the  court  to  Home  will  make  no  chano-e  in 
the  art  treasures  of  Florence ;  they  will  remain  undisturb- 
ed, and  future  travelers  will  find  them  just  where  they 
were  found  before  Victor  Emanuel  was  welcomed  to  Flor- 
ence. 

The  days  passed  quickh'  away  in  visiting  and  revisiting 
the  galleries, where  one  can  linger  for  weeks;  the  Duomo, 
with  its  Campanile  and  Baptistery ;  Santa  Croce,  and  Sau 
Lorenzo,  and  the  many  places  and  objects  of  interest  which 
have  so  lono-  attracted  crowds  of  travelers  to  the  beautiful 
city,  made  more  attractive  than  ever  before.  An  excursion 
to  Pisa,  distant  about  an  hour,  afforded  a  sight  of  the  Lean- 
ing Tower,  and  of  the  Cathedral  in  which  still  hangs  the 
bronze  chandelier,  the  swinging  of  which  suggested  to  the 
philosophical  mind  of  Galileo  the  theory  of  the  pendulum, 
the  fii'st  step  toward  his  demonstration  of  the  nature  and 
order  of  the  solar  svstem,  for  which  be  came  near  sufferin<x 
martvrdom  at  the  hands  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  I  ffi'eat- 
ly  scandalized  the  priest  who  attended  us  when  I  gently 
touched  the  chandelier  and  gave  it  a  swing,  that  I  might  be 
brought  moi"e  into  communication  with  the  heretic  Galileo 
b}'  seeing  it  in  motion. 

Florence,  since  it  has  passed  from  under  the  dominion  of 
the  Grand-duke,  has  become  a  centre  of  light  and  true  re- 
ligious influence  for  all  Italy.  There  is  something  truly 
sublime  and  almost  inexplicable  in  the  stand  which  Victor 
Emanuel  has  taken  in  regard  to  religious  lil^erty.  Lie  is 
not  reputed  to  be  a  man  of  religious  sentiment  or  feeling ; 
quite  otherwise ;  and  yet,  since  he  first  came  to  his  father's 
throne,  he  has  pursued  a  steady  course  in  securing  to  his 
subjects  the  right  to  worship  God,  and  in  granting  to  his 
people  equal  privileges  without  regard  to  their  religious 
opinions.  The  Waldenses,  who  for  ages  suffered  oppression 
even  when  they  were  not  suffering  persecution,  are  now 
represented  in  the  Italian  Parliament,  and  enjoy  full  eccle- 


436  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

siastical  privileges.  It  was  said  in  Turin  many  years  ao-o, 
when  Victor  Emanuel  was  king  of  that  corner  of  Italy, 
that  he  received  the  principles  of  religious  toleration  as  a 
sacred  legacy  from  Charles  Albert ;  if  so,  he  has  been  a 
faithful  executor  of  his  father's  will.  Xot  all  the  threats 
of  excommunication,  nor  excommunication  itself,  which  has 
been  hurled  at  his  head  more  than  once,  has  had  any  effect 
to  turn  him  from  his  course. 


XXXIII. 

VENICE    HOMEWARD. 


In-  the  journey  from  Florence  to  Yenice,  where  once 
the  traveler  passed  over  the  Apennines,  we  passed  directly 
through  them,  piercing  the  mountains  by  more  than  forty 
tunnels  within  the  space  of  two  or  three  hours.  We  scarce- 
ly emerged  from  one  before  we  dived  into  the  gloom  and 
darkness  of  another,  until  it  really  seemed  as  if  the  eye  of 
day  was  simply  winking  at  us — now  shut,  now  open,  and 
now  shut  again.  Kight  came  on,  and  the  stars  came  out 
long  before  we  reached  "  The  City  of  the  Sea ;"  but  near 
midnight  we  landed  (if  leaving  terra  firma  and  taking  to 
the  water  can  be  called  landing),  and  glided  quietly  to  our 
quarters  at  the  hotel  a  mile  or  more  distant. 

There  are  only  two  cities  in  the  world  that  I  have  found 
just  what  I  expected.  When  I  first  caught  sight  of  Jeru- 
salem in  crossing  the  hills  of  Judea,  and  when  I  looked 
down  upon  it  from  the  Mount  of  Olives,  it  was  the  Jeru- 
salem of  my  tlioughts ;  I  had  been  there  often  before. 
When  I  reached  the  railway  terminus  on  the  las^oon  at 
Venice,  and  took  a  gondola  instead  of  an  omnibus,  and 
was  rowed  by  moonlight  through  one  street  after  another, 
and  at  length  landed  at  the  door  of  the  hotel,  into  which  I 
stepped  from  the  gondola ;   and  when,  on  the  following 


VENICE  H02IEWARD.  437 

days,  I  floated  through  the  liquid  streets,  into  and  along 
the  Grand  Canal,  past  the  old  and  now  deserted  palaces, 
beneath  the  Kialto,  and  under  the  Bridge  of  Sighs ;  and 
as  I  stood  in  the  grand  square  of  San  Marco,  and  entered 
the  Doge's  Palace,  and  walked  through  its  great  historic 
halls,  and  descended  into  its  subterranean  and  subaqueous 
dungeons,  I  found  myself  just  where  I  had  been  a  hun- 
dred times.  It  was  not  the  realization  of  a  dream — it  was 
the  dream  prolonged ;  every  thing  was  as  I  had  fancied  it. 
Venice  is  a  city  so  peculiar,  so  unlike  all  other  cities  we 
have  ever  known,  that  we  do  not  base  our  conceptions  of 
it  upon  what  we  have  seen  of  other  places,  but  upon  actual 
■descriptions. 

In  this  singular  city  travelers  must  needs  become  am- 
phibious. They  sleep  in  houses,  not  upon  the  land,  but 
anchored  in  the  sea.  If  they  step  into  the  street  they  step 
upon  the  water.  If  they  wish  to  make  a  call  upon  a  friend, 
they  order,  not  a  carriage,  but  a  gondola.  There  is  not  a 
carriage  in  all  Venice,  and  only  one  horse,  which  is  kept 
on  an  adjacent  island  as  a  curiosity.  He  would  have  been, 
in  truth,  rara  avis  if  he  had  not  been  a  horse.  Over  the 
streets,  which  are  water,  a  stillness  reigns  throughout  the 
year  which  to  many  becomes  oppressive,  absolutely  pain- 
ful ;  but  to  me  it  is  a  positive  luxury.  Here  the  noise  and 
bustle  of  life  are  suspended,  the  days  float  along  as  still  as 
the  flight  of  a  bird  in  the  air,  or  as  smoothly  as  one  of  the 
gondolas  in  which  we  glide  over  the  surface  of  the  water. 

Thoroughly  to  enjoy  Venice,  one  must  come  at  the  right 
season,  and  have  plenty  of  time.  In  midwinter  the  air  is 
too  cool  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  place.  In  midsum- 
mer, and  all  through  the  warm  season,  the  canals  are  of- 
fensive, reminding  one  of  the  streets  of  Cologne ;  and  if 
one  has  been  in  China,  they  will  slightly  remind  him  of 
the  cities  of  the  Celestial  Empire.  The  month  of  May, 
when  the  air  is  balmy,  and  just  warm  enough  to  enjoy  the 
open  air  without  exercise  (for  exercise  here  is  almost  out 
of  the  question),  is,  perhaps,  the  best  time   of  the  year. 


438  AROUND  TEE  WORLD. 

And  then  to  take  a  gondola  in  front  of  the  Doge's  Palace, 
and  allow  your  gondolier  to  row  you  gently  into  the  Grand 
Canal,  and  through  its  whole  extent,  and  give  you — as  he 
will,  if  you  secure  an  intelligent  gondolier — the  name  and 
the  story  of  each  one  of  the  old  marble  palaces  as  you 
glide  by  it,  or  pause  to  read  up  its  history ;  to  enter  these 
ancient  halls  of  the  Venetian  princes,  as  you  may  by  a 
suitable  introduction ;  to  bring  up  the  days  of  the  Old  Re- 
public, when  these  water  streets  were  resplendent  with  na- 
val displays,  with  gorgeous  regattas,  and  with  the  magnifi- 
cence of  Oriental  sights — all  this  bewilders  and  delights 
the  imagination,  until  one  can  scarcely  do  any  thing  but 
give  way  to  the  intoxicating  influence  of  the  scenes  and 
associations  by  which  he  is  surrounded.  Even  visiting  and 
studying  the  works  of  art  which  abound  in  Venice  seem 
almost  too  much  like  servile  labor  for  the  atmosphere  of 
the  place.  Venice  itself  is  the  work  of  art  which  each  one 
will  most  delight  to  contem'plate. 

The  evening  before  leaving  Venice,  after  making  a  call 
on  some  friends  on  the  Grand  Canal,  we  took  a  gondola  to 
return  to  our  own  hotel.  The  night  was  enchanting,  and, 
instead  of  going  directly  to  our  quarters,  I  told  the  gondo- 
lier to  row  down  the  bay  toward  the  Lido.  The  skies  were 
])erfectly  clear,  the  stars  were  out  in  hosts,  looking  down 
upon  the  placid  scene ;  the  water  of  the  bay  was  literally 
like  glass,  and,  as  we  returned,  the  whole  city,  with  its  bril- 
liant lights,  was  reflected  from  its  surface,  making  two 
perfect  cities,  one  above  and  one  below  the  sea.  Not  a 
sound  came  from  the  city  itself,  in  which  no  rumbling 
wheels  are  ever  heard.  All  was  perfect  stillness.  I  di- 
rected the  gondolier  to  rest  upon  his  oars,  and  leave  us  to 
float.  Just  then  the  great  historic  bell  of  San  Marco, 
swinging  in  the  lofty  Campanile,  with  its  deep-toned  voice 
rung  out  the  hour  of  midnight,  and  the  bells  all  over  the 
city  echoed  the  sound.  Was  it  all  a  dream  ?  It  was  not 
like  the  common  realities  of  earth.  We  returned  to  our 
hotel  to  dream  in  truth,  and  to  bring  away  with  us  the  re- 


VENICE  HOMEWARD.  439 

inembrance  of  this  last  evening  as  the  most  appropriate  of 
all  our  pleasant  memories  of  the  Queen  of  the  Adriatic. 

Going  fi'om  Venice  to  Vienna,  we  chose  the  route  by  rail, 
around  the  head  of  the  Adriatic,  having  had  enough  of  the 
sea  to  satisfy  our  most  earnest  longings.  From  Trieste  the 
road  leads  over  the  Semmering  Pass  by  one  of  the  grand- 
est pieces  of  engineering,  and  through  some  of  the  grand- 
est scenery  on  any  railroad  in  the  world.  We  ascended 
many  lofty  heights,  now  passing  through  dark,  rocky  gal- 
leries, now  rushing  along  the  mountain  side,  from  which 
M'e  had  charming  views  of  the  valleys  beneath  us.  and  anon 
winding  dow^n  until  we  were  in  the  ver}-  depths  of  the  val- 
leys preparing  to  ascend  other  heights  beyond. 

Vienna,  the  splendid  capital  of  the  Austrian  Empire, 
is  becoming  more  and  more  magnificent.  The  internal 
fortifications  were  razed  in  1858  to  furnish  room  for  the 
growing  city,  and  piles  of  buildings  have  been  and  are  still 
in  course  of  erection.  Paris,  taken  as  a  whole,  is  more 
beautiful,  but  there  is  no  city  in  all  Central  or  Southern 
Europe  that  is  more  magnificent.  In  the  old  town  the 
streets  are  narrow;  but  the  new,  broad  avenues,  which 
stretch  for  miles  and  encircle  the  city,  are  lined  with  splen- 
did blocks  of  buildings,  giving  it  the  asjject  of  a  city  of 
palaces. 

A  great  change  has  come  over  this  capital,  and  over  the 
whole  empire  within  the  last  few  years.  The  Austrian 
government  is  now  carrjdng  out  the  principle  which  I  saw 
inscribed  as  a  motto  on  one  of  the  arches  leading  to  the 
imperial  palace — an  inscription  which  was  long  a  dead  let- 
ter— JusTiTiA  Regnoeum  Fundamentum.  The  contrast  be- 
tween Austria  as  it  was  and  Austria  as  it  is  I  have  had  oc- 
casion to  test.  A  few  years  since,  in  crossing  the  frontier, 
I  was  taken  by  the  police  into  a  private  room,  and  subject- 
ed to  a  long  and  rigid  examination  in  regard  to  my  birth- 
place, my  family,  my  destination,  my  purposes  of  travel, 
and  many  other  particulars ;  the  answers  were  all  commit- 
ted to  writing  and  forwarded  to  Vienna.     But  now  I  en- 


4-iO  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

tered  Austria  without  a  question  being  asked,  and  traveled 
from  one  end  of  it  to  the  other  without  a  challenge.  When 
I  first  entered  it,  Austria  was  in  complete  subjection  to 
Rome.  The  Concordat  was  in  force.  The  educational 
system  of  the  country  was,  by  treaty,  in  the  hands  of  Rom- 
ish priests,  whose  persons  were  inviolate,  and  whose  power 
was  almost  supreme.  Austria  is  now  ruled  by  its  own  gov- 
ernment. The  Concordat  with  Rome  has  been  dissolved. 
The  education  of  the  country  has  been  taken  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  priests,  and  is  directed  by  the  government. 
Romish  j^riests  and  bishops  are  now  required  to  obey  the 
laws  like  other  citizens,  and  are  sent  to  prison  Avhen  they 
violate  them.  I  know  not  why  the  priests  should  decline 
to  show  themselves,  since  they  enjoy  equal  protection  and 
privileges  with  others,  but  I  did  not  see  a  single  one  in 
priestly  garb  in  the  streets  of  Vienna  during  my  stay.  It 
is  not  the  least  of  the  signs  of  change  that  the  prime  min- 
ister of  Austria,  whose  emperor  is  a  Roman  Catholic,  is 
himself  a  thorough  Protestant. 

Among  all  that  was  to  be  seen  in  this  splendid  capital, 
there  was  nothing  of  deeper  interest  than  the  crypt  of  the 
Capncin  Church,  in  which  lie  the  remains  of  a  long  line  of 
emperors  and  princes.  Descending  a  staircase,  we  entered 
a  long  hall,  and  walked  by  the  side  of  coffined  dust  once 
animated  by  ambitious  spirits  struggling  for  empire,  but 
now  sleeping  their  long  sleep,  the  turmoil  of  the  battle  of 
life  all  ended  with  them.  The  sarcophagi  stand  in  regu- 
lar order  upon  the  pavement  of  the  long  cori-idor  like  so 
many  cots  spread  for  repose  at  night.  The  Emperor  Ma- 
thias  Corvinus,  who  died  at  Vienna  two  years  before  the 
discovery  of  the  Western  Continent  by  Columbus,  was  the 
first  buried.  After  him  a  succession  of  kings  wrapped 
their  imperial  robes  around  them,  and  were  laid  in  this  roy- 
al mausoleum.  It  is  a  ti-easure-house  of  history,  and  the 
stories  of  some  of  the  royal  occupants  are  romantic  and 
tragic  to  the  last  degree.  Here  lies  the  Duke  of  Reich- 
stadt,  only  son  of  the  first  l^apoleon,  who  received  from  his 


VENICE  HOMEWARD.  441 

father,  at  his  birth,  the  title  of  King  of  Rome,  that  proved 
but  an  empty  name.  He  closed  his  melancholy  life  at  the 
palace  of  Schonbrunn,  in  the  suburbs  of  Vienna,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one,  attended  by  his  mother,  Marie  Louise.  His 
last  words  were  a  wail  of  despair :  "  I  am  sinking,  oh 
my  mother,  my  mother !" 

But  far  more  trao-ic  was  the  end  of  one  of  the  royal 
sleepers  in  this  hall  of  kings.  The  last  deposited  cofiin, 
still  covered  from  day  to  day  with  fresh  flowers,  is  that  of 
the  Emperor  Maximilian,  the  tool  of  Kapoleon  in  the  at- 
tempted conquest  of  Mexico.  Sad  as  was  his  fate,  it  is  to 
be  envied  before  that  of  Carlotta,  who  still  lingers  in  hope- 
less insanity.  There  are  more  than  eighty  coflins  in  this 
corridor  of  illustrious  dead,  one  of  them — that  of  Joseph 
I. — of  solid  silver.  It  is  said  that  the  Empress  Maria  The- 
resa, mother  of  the  illustrious  Joseph  II.,  descended  every 
day,  for  thirteen  years,  into  the  crj-pt  to  mourn  for  her  hus- 
band Francis  L,  until  at  length  she  was  laid  by  his  side. 

A  singular  precaution  against  the  premature  resurrec- 
tion of  any  of  these  departed  monarchs  has  been  adopted. 
The  bodies  lie  in  the  crypt  of  the  Church  of  the  Capucins, 
their  hearts  are  deposited  in  urns  in  the  Church  of  St.  Au- 
pfustine  not  far  distant,  and  their  bowels  are  buried  in  St. 
Stephen's  Cathedi-al  in  another  part  of  the  city. 

From  Vienna  we  made  our  way  by  rail  across  the  battle- 
fields of  Austria  to  one  of  the  most  curious  cities  in  Eu- 
rope, and  one  of  the  most  interesting  in  its  historical  inci- 
dents, the  ancient  capital  of  Bohemia.  Prague  is  charm- 
ingly situated  on  both  sides  of  the  River  Moldau,  and  the 
variegated  surface  of  the  ground  on  which  it  is  built,  es- 
pecially the  bluff  on  which  the  old  palace  stands,  gives  to 
it  an  exceedingly  picturesque  appearance.  A  portion  of 
the  town  is  very  ancient,  and  the  whole  has  a  more  antique 
and  unique  aspect  than  any  other  European  city  that  I  can 
recall.  I  was  attracted  to  Prague  by  its  association  with 
the  early  martyrs  of  the  Reformation — John  IIuss  and  his 
associate,  Jerome  of  Prague ;  but  I  found  that  I  had  enter- 


442  AROUND  THE  WOULD. 

ed  a  city  that  was  tilled  with  curious  old  buildings  and 
monuments,  and  with  records  of  stirring  events  that  occur- 
red all  along  through  the  centuries.  The  Eathaus  or  Town- 
hall,  M'hich  has  in  one  of  its  towers  a  famous  clock  that 
rivals  the  celebrated  clock  of  the  Strasbourg  Cathedral,  was 
the  scene  of  some  of  these  events.  As  the  Hussites,  under 
Ziska,  were  marching  through  the  city  in  1419,  they  were 
assaulted  with  stones  from  the  Eathaus,  when  thev  rushed 
into  the  council-chamber  and  threw  the  councillors,  to  the 
number  of  thirteen,  out  of  the  windows.  They  were  caught 
upon  the  pikes  of  the  people. 

This  throwing  of  people  out  of  the  windows  became  so 
common  as  to  acquire  the  name  of  "  The  Bohemian  Fash- 
ion." In  14S3,  the  people,  dissatisfied  with  the  course  of 
the  magistrates,  entered  the  Eathaus,  pitched  the  burgo- 
master out  of  the  window,  and  then  threw  several  of  the 
senate  down  upon  the  spears  of  the  expectant  crowd. 

The  Eathaus  in  the  Xeustadt  was  the  scene  of  a  similar 
occurrence,  the  magistrates,  on  two  separate  occasions,  hav- 
ing been  ejected  from  the  windows.  Two  members  of  the 
imperial  government  were  thrown  from  the  windows  of 
the  palace,  a  height  of  nearly  eighty  feet  from  the  ground, 
l)ut,  falling  on  a  dung-heap,  their  lives  were  saved.  Their 
secretary,  thrown  after  them,  of  course  came  down  atop, 
and  is  said  to  have  made  a  humble  apology  to  his  supeii- 
ors  for  coming  into  their  presence  in  this  unceremonious 
manner. 

Prao-ue  was  the  seat  of  the  observations  of  the  celebrated 
Danish  astronomer,  Tycho  Brahe,  who  was  invited  by  the 
Emperor  Eudolph  II.  to  make  the  city  his  home.  His  ob- 
servatory was  on  the  castle  hill,  near  the  ancient  palace, 
where  his  nocturnal  studv  of  the  heavens  was  srreatlv  dis- 
turbed  by  the  monks  of  a  neighboring  convent ;  in  conse- 
quence of  which,  an  imperial  order  was  issued  that  the 
monks  should  finish  their  prayers  and  cease  the  tolling  of 
tlie  bells  before  the  rising  of  the  stars  which  the  astrono- 
mer was  intending  to  watch. 


VENICE  HOMEWARD.  443 

The  palace  of  Count  Wallenstein,  the  hero  of  tlie  Thirty 
Years'  War,  though  now  neglected,  was  once  a  princely  seat, 
and  is  said  to  have  been,  during  the  life  of  that  distinguish- 
ed and  eccentric  warrior,  the  scene  of  splendors  such  as 
have  been  rarely  seen  in  any  regal  court.  He  lived  in 
great  state ;  barons  and  knights  were  his  attendants,  and 
sixty  pages  of  noble  families  waited  on  his  orders. 

But  of  all  the  memories  connected  with  this  ancient 
city,  none  stand  out  upon  the  pages  of  history  like  those 
associated  with  John  Huss,  and  his  faithful  friend  and  co- 
adjutor, Jerome  of  Prague.  Huss  was  born  in  the  south 
of  Bohemia  in  the  year  1373.  He  came  to  Prague  to 
pursue  his  studies  in  what  was  then  the  first  university  in 
Europe.  At  that  time,  it  is  estimated  that  as  many  as 
;20,000  students  were  present  from  all  parts  of  Europe. 
Here,  too,  he  became  acquainted  with  the  writings  of 
Wickliffe,  and  began  at  once  to  preach  against  the  errors 
and  iniquities  of  the  Church  of  Pome,  and  though  threat- 
ened, and  placed  under  interdict,  and  excommunicated,  he 
went  on  with  his  work,  appealing  from  the  pope  to  a  Gen- 
eral Council  of  the  Church,  and  to  Christ,  its  only  Head. 
Summoned  to  appear  before  the  Council  of  Constance  in 
14:14  on  a  charge  of  heresy,  he  obeyed  the  summons,  pro- 
tected, as  he  had  a  right  to  believe,  by  a  safe-conduct  from 
the  Emperor  Sigismund.  The  emperor  was  told  that  a 
promise  made  to  a  heretic  was  not  binding,  and  gave  him 
up  into  the  hands  of  the  Council,  which  condemned  him 
and  his  writings  to  be  burned  toe-ether.  His  friend  Je- 
i-ome,  who  braved  all  perils,  and  came  to  Constance  to  de- 
fend him,  was  cast  into  prison,  where,  after  being  reduced 
to  utter  weakness  and  the  verge  of  despair  by  six  months 
of  solitary  confinement,  he  recanted,  but  not  long  after  re- 
tracted his  recantation,  and  died  heroically  at  the  stake. 

On  the  6th  of  July,  1413,  Huss,  then  forty-two  years  of 
age,  having  boldly  avowed  his  firm  belief  in  the  Gospel  of 
Christ  as  revealed  in  the  inspired  Scriptures,  was  con- 
demned by  the  Council  to  be  burned  alive.     He  was  strip- 


444:  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

ped  of  his  priestly  garments,  and  arrayed  in  fantastic  robes 
on  which  devils  were  painted,  emblematical  of  the  com- 
panionship to  which  his  persecutors  would  fain  consign 
him.  While  the  fagots  were  piled  around  him  he  remain- 
ed perfectly  calm,  and  as  the  torch  was  applied,  and  the 
flames  sprang  up,  he  broke  forth  in  a  hymn  of  praise  which 
was  heard  above  the  noise  of  the  multitude,  and,  com- 
mending his  soul  to  the  Saviour  in  words  of  prayer,  his 
spirit  went  aloft  in  the  chariot  of  fire.  His  ashes  were 
collected  and  cast  into  the  Ehine,  as  those  of  Wickliffe, 
"  the  morning  star"  of  the  Reformation  that  had  guided 
him  to  Christ,  were  cast  into  the  Severn. 

Stirring  scenes  occurred  within  the  city  of  Prague  aft- 
er this  noble  martyr  had  given  his  dying  testimony  to  the 
truth,  and  his  spirit  still  animates  the  Bohemian  people. 
His  name  is  yet  used  as  a  watchword — a  sort  of  synonym 
for  liberty,  even  by  those  who  reject  the  doctrines  of  the 
Reformation.  I  searched  out  the  spot  where  he  lived,  and 
found  it  occupied  by  a  Roman  Catholic ;  but  the  house  is 
conspicuously  marked  with  a  large  medallion  likeness  of 
the  great  reformer  in  front,  while  over  the  door  is  the 
following  inscription,  cut  into  the  stone  and  gilt :  "  Here 
lived  Master  John  Huss."  The  house  has  been  rebuilt,  but 
a  stone  window-frame  taken  from  the  former  building  is 
inserted  in  the  corridor  leading  to  the  court-yard,  and  in- 
closes a  stone  tablet  with  the  words, 

A  Relic  of  the  House  where  lived 

MASTER  JOHN  HUSS, 

Who   preached   at    Betlemske   Chapel. 

All  clerical  titles  are  denied  him — he  is  simplj-  Master 
John  Huss.  I  found  the  ancient  chapel  where  he  preach- 
ed occupied  as  a  carriage-maker's  shop. 

By  another  stage  of  our  journey  we  were,  in  the  course 
of  a  few  hours,  in  the  former  capital  of  Saxony,  a  capital 
only  in  name,  since  the  kingdom  has  been  swallowed  up 
in  Prussia,  and,  still  later,  in  the  German  Empire  of  to-day. 
Dresden,  although  charmingly  situated  on  the  Elbe,  and  in 


VENICE  HOMEWARD.  44.5 

the  midst  of  a  beautiful  champaign,  has  its  chief  attrac- 
tions in  the  right  roj'al  gallery  of  paintings,  celebrated  the 
■world  over,  and  in  its  collections  of  antiquities  and  arts, 
many  of  which  are  associated  with  the  history  of  Saxony, 
Xot  the  gem,  but  the  diadem  of  the  collection,  is  Eaphael's 
Madonna  del  Sisto — an  exception  to  nearly  all  the  Madon- 
nas of  fame  in  the  deep  thoughtfulness,  the  almost  super- 
womanly  look  into  futm"ity  which  marks  her  countenance. 
Artists,  in  giving  ns  their  ideals  of  the  mother  and  child, 
have  seldom  done  more  than  paint  the  portraits  of  come- 
ly women  and  expressionless  infants.  But  one  who  looks 
upon  this  masterpiece  of  Raphael  may  well  imagine  the 
mother  to  be  pondering  in  her  heart  the  deep  meaning  of 
tliose  prophetic  words  of  Simeon :  "  Yea,  a  sword  shall 
pierce  through  thy  owni  soul  also."  It  is  a  majestic  crea- 
tion of  the  pencil — the  queen  of  the  Madonnas. 

It  was  only  two  months  before  the  breaking  out  of  hos- 
tilities between  France  and  Prussia  when  we  reached  Ber- 
lin. There  was  not  then  a  whisper  of  war,  not  a  breath  in 
the  atmosphere  which  made  one  apprehend  that  such  scenes 
of  strife  were  at  hand,  and  yet  the  whole  aspect  of  things 
was  martial.  There  was  military  display  in  the  streets. 
There  was  a  o-rand  militarv  review  at  Potsdam,  and  at  even- 
ing  the  capital  was  like  a  military  camp.  The  people  them- 
selves were  talking  over  the  old  scores  with  France  which 
had  never  been  settled.  As  we  rode  out  to  Charlottenberg 
to  see  the  exquisite  statuary,  by  Eauch,  which  adorns  the 
tomb  of  Frederick  William  III,  and  his  lovely  wife,  the 
Queen  Louise,  whose  memory  is  almost  adored  by  the  Prus- 
sians, a  German  who  was  with  us  gave  expression  to  the 
national  hatred  of  the  first  Napoleon,  and  the  desire  to  re- 
dress tJie  insults  and  injuries  M'hich  had  been  heaped  upon 
the  Prussian  royal  family  and  upon  the  kingdom  and  cap- 
ital. But  little  did  we  imagine  tliat  another  Xapoleon 
would  so  soon  afford  the  opportunity  for  avenging  these 
wrongs. 

We  devoted  a  dav  to  Wittenberg.  Ion 2:  tlie  home  of  Lu- 


^46  AROUXD  THE  WORLD. 

tlier,  and  the  scene  of  some  of  the  most  important  events 
of  the  Reformation,  It  is  about  sixty  miles  from  Berhn. 
We  first  went  to  the  Schlosskirche,  npon  tlie  doors  of  wliicli 
Luther  nailed  the  ninety -five  theses,  his  protest  against  the 
doctrines  of  Eome,  and  a  confession  of  the  faith  of  one  who 
had  been  taught  by  the  Holy  Spirit  out  of  the  Bible.  The 
doors  of  the  church  were  burned  by  the  French  when  they 
ravaged  Prussia,  but  they  have  been  replaced  by  gates  of 
bronze,  on  which  are  engraved  the  whole  of  the  ninety-five 
theses  in  the  original  Latin  text.  With  much  difiiculty  we 
obtained  the  kevs,  and  entered  the  church  to  stand  within 
the  walls  which  had  resounded  with  the  thunders-  of  that 
voice  that  stirred  all  Europe,  the  echoes  of  which  have  roll- 
ed over  the  earth,  and  will  roll  onward  until  time  shall  be 
no  more.  Luther  and  Melancthon  were  both  buried  in 
this  church.  The  spot  where  Luther  burned  the  pope's  bull 
of  excommunication  before  an  assembly  of  doctors,  stu- 
dents, and  citizens,  just  outside  of  the  Elster  Gate,  has  been 
inclosed,  and  is  carefully  kept  as  an  ornamental  garden. 
An  oak-tree  marks  the  spot  where  tradition  says  the  bull 
was  consumed.  The  monastery  in  which  the  great  reform- 
er lived  and  taught  while  yet  a  monk  is  now  a  college  foi' 
educating  Protestant  ministers,  and  the  houses  occupied  by 
Luther  and  Melancthon  are  schools.  The  statues  of  the 
two  reformers  —  costly  and  noble  works  of  art  —  stand  in 
the  market-place,  the  former  bearing  the  well-known  words, 
in  German,  "  If  it  be  God's  work,  it  will  endure  ;  if  man's, 
it  will  perish."  The  University  building,  in  which  Luthei- 
lived  with  his  wife  Catharine,  contains  many  memorials  of 
the  reformer,  including  his  chair,  the  table  on  which  lie 
wrote,  and  the  capacious  mug  from  which  he  drank  his 
German  beer.  Kings  and  nobles  many  have  stood  within 
this  room  to  pay  homage  to  the  memory  of  one  who  was 
mightier  than  kings  and  princes.  The  sign-manual  of  Pe- 
ter the  Great  rudely  adorns  the  wall. 

Another  day  we  devoted  to  Potsdam,  the  home  of  Fred- 
erick the  Great,  and  in  his  time  the  real  capital  of  Prussia. 


VENICE  HOMEWARD.  447 

It  is  a  cluster  of  royal  palaces,  the  grounds  of  which  are 
laid  out  with  royal  taste  and  on  a  magnificent  scale.  Found- 
ed by  Frederick  Wilhelni,  Elector  of  Brandenburg,  its  chief 
glory  was  imparted  to  it  by  the  great  Frederick,  wdio  erect- 
ed its  finest  buildings  and  enlarged  its  parks.  Here  he  in- 
dulged to  the  utmost  his  peculiar  tastes.  The  room  at  the 
chateau  of  Sans  Souci  in  which  he  died  is  preserved  in  the 
same  state  as  when  his  spirit  departed  from  it  nearly  a  hun- 
dred years  ago.  The  clock,  which  stopped  the  moment  at 
whicli  he  breathed  his  last,  remains  undisturbed,  the  hands 
pointing  to  the  memorable  hour  and  minute. 

One  of  the  monuments  of  the  place  is  the  famous  wind- 
mill. Adjoining  the  royal  grounds  was  a  field,  in  which 
stood  a  wind-mill,  a  sort  of  vineyard  of  Naboth  to  the  great 
Frederick,  who  wished  to  add  it  to  his  own  parks.  The 
miller  refused  to  sell,  on  wliich  tlie  king  brought  an  action 
in  the  courts  to  dispossess  him.  It  was  decided  against  the 
king,  who  regarded  the  decision  of  the  judges  as  so  honora- 
ble to  the  nation  that  he  built  for  the  miller  a  fine  stone 
mill  that  is  still  standing,  although  the  grounds  have  been 
added  to  the  royal  domain  by  purchase.  Such  triumphs 
are  worthy  of  commemoration  by  kings  and  people. 

From  Berlin  we  crossed  the  country  to  Cologne.  The 
city,  within  the  last  few  3'ears,  has  been  greatly  improved, 
the  "  two-and-seventy  stenches"  of  Coleridge  being  reduced 
in  number  and  power,  while  the  perfumery  establishments 
have  multiplied.  Progress  has  been  made  in  the  renova- 
tion of  the  Cathedral,  which  is  the  grandest  ecclesiastical 
structure  in  the  world.  St.  Peter's,  at  Rome,  is  larger  and 
more  highly  adorned  wnth  works  of  art ;  the  Cathedral  at 
Milan  is  in  some  respects  more  beautiful ;  but,  take  it  all  in 
all,  in  appropriateness  and  purity  of  architecture,  in  sim- 
plicity and  grandeur  of  effect,  in  its  power  of  appeal  to  the 
heart,  it  is  without  a  rival  among  all  the  structures  erected 
for  Christian  worship. 

Disdaining  the  railway  as  a  profanation  of  tlie  romance 
of  the  Bhine,  we  took  the  steamer  at  Cologne  to  ascend  the 


448 


AROUKD  THE  WORLD. 


river,  the  beauties  of  which,  with  the  historic  tales  that 
are  written  on  its  rocky  heights,  and  castle  walls,  and 
crumbling  ruins,  have  been  sung  for  ages,  but  not  exag- 


gerated. 


BINGEN    ON    THE   EUINE. 


The  sun  had  set  and  the  moon  had  risen  as  we  passed 
Bingen  on  the  Rhine,  and  for  two  or  three  hours  we  en- 
joyed tlie  perfection  of  the  romance  of  this  river,  which  is 
more  thickly  crowded  with  legendary  interest  tlian  any 
other  that  pours  its  waters  into  the  sea.  As  we  sat  in  the 
soft  moonlight  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  tracing  the  out- 
lines of  the  lofty  heights  and  catching  shadowy  glimpses 
of  the  shores,  the  nightingales  on  either  bank  regaled  us 
with  their  melody,  displaying  alike  their  marvelous  power 
of  song  and  their  exquisite  taste  in  preferring  moonlight 


VEXICE  HOJIEWARD.  449 

to  sunlight  for  song.  AVe  thought  of  good  Izaak  "Walton's 
pious  ejaculation  as  he  listened  to  their  melody,  "  Lord, 
what  music  hast  thou  provided  for  the  saints  in  lieaven, 
when  thou  affordest  bad  men  such  music  on  earth !" 

After  spending  the  Sabbath  at  Mayence,  we  went  to 
Worms,  recalling,  as  we  entered  the  city,  the  time  when 
Luther,  summoned  to  appear  before  the  Diet  to  answer 
to  the  charge  of  being  a  heretic,  and  to  show  cause  why 
he  should  not  be  burned,  like  Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague, 
made  answer  to  his  friends,  who  dissuaded  him  from 
trusting  himself  in  the  hands  of  his  perfidious  enemies, 
"Though  there  were  as  many  devils  in  "Worms  as  there 
are  tiles  on  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  I  would  go  on,"  and 
boldly  entered,  chanting  the  Marseillaise  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, "^iVi^^^^e?  Burg  ist  unser  Gottr  Here  it  was  that, 
standing  np  before  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  and  his  nobles, 
and  a  multitude  of  Eomish  prelates,  who  were  eager  to 
light  the  fagots  around  his  body,  he  boldly  defended  his 
doctrine,  and  ended  with  the  declaration,  "  Let  me,  then, 
be  refuted  and  convinced  by  the  testimony  of  the  Scrip- 
ture, or  by  the  clearest  argument ;  otherwise  I  can  not  and 
will  not  recant,  for  it  is  neither  safe  nor  expedient  to  act 
against  conscience.  Here  I  stand;  I  can  not  do  other^\ase; 
God  help  me." 

Xever,  since  the  Lord  Jesus  was  arraigned  before  Pon- 
tius Pilate,  has  there  been  witnessed  on  earth  a  sublimer 
judicial  spectacle,  or  one  in  which  the  example  of  the  Mas- 
ter was  more  nobly  illustrated  in  the  bravery  of  the  disci- 
ple, than  Luther  before  the  Diet  of  "Worms  avowing,  in  the 
face  of  all  his  enemies,  the  truth  of  Jesus  as  revealed  in 
his  "Word.  The  Episcopal  palace  in  which  the  Diet  was 
held,  near  the  great  Cathedral,  has  disappeared ;  but  the 
memory  of  that  scene  is  now  preserved  in  a  group  of  mon- 
umental bronze  statuary,  erected  at  great  cost,  represent- 
ing Luther  snrrounded  by  the  early  reformers  of  many 
lands — "Wickliffe,  Huss,  Savonarola,  etc. — and  the  faithful 
electors  who  stood  by  him  while  alive.     The  group  stands 

Fr 


450  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

upon  an  elevated  stone  terrace  in  the  open  air,  at  the  en- 
trance to  a  park  or  garden,  embracing  a  secluded  ravine, 
in  the  deep  shade  of  which,  even  at  noonday,  the  nightin- 
gales were  pouring  forth  their  sweetest  lays. 

From  Worms  we  reached  French  territoiy  at  the  town 
of  "Weissenberg,  where  our  baggage  was  overhauled  by  the 
officials.  This  little  town,  a  few  weeks  later,  took  its  place 
in  history  as  the  spot  where  the  French  and  Prussian  ar- 
mies first  met  in  deadly  conflict,  but  as  we  halted  on  our 
way  it  had  no  presage  of  its  coming  distinction.  All  was 
smiling  and  peaceful.  An  hour  later  we  were  at  Stras- 
l30urg.  By  a  singular  but  undesigned  coincidence,  I  found 
it  was  fifteen  years  to  a  day,  and  almost  to  an  hour,  since 
I  had  entered  it  once  before.  The  town  was  not  a  little 
changed  in  the  mean  while,  having  lost  a  measure  of  its 
quaintness ;  but  no  amount  of  polish  or  paint  could  make 
a  French  city  of  it.  It  was  German  still,  and  will  be  more 
at  home  in  Germany  than  in  France,  whether  the  inhab- 
itatants  are  at  home  or  not. 

We  tarried  at  Strasbourg  over  a  day  to  see  the  grand 
Cathedral,  with  its  wondrous  clock.  The  Cathedral,  as  a 
specimen  of  Gothic  architecture,  is  not  far  behind  that  of 
Cologne.  It  is  melancholy  to  know  that  this  monument 
of  many  centuries  suffered  so  mnch  in  the  siege.  That  it 
did  not  suffer  more  was  marvelous.  The  famous  clock,  a 
wonder  of  mechanism,  was  but  slightly  injured.  We  paid 
a  visit  to  the  Protestant  Church  of  St.  Thomas  to  see  the 
group  of  statuary  erected  by  Louis  XY.  in  memory  of 
Marshal  Saxe  —  a  noble  monument  to  a  noble  Protestant 
by  a  Catholic  king.  The  marshal  was  represented  as  de- 
scending into  the  tomb ;  Death,  in  the  form  of  a  skeleton, 
stood  lifting  the  lid  of  the  coffin  for  his  rece]3tion ;  while 
France,  in  the  form  of  a  beautiful  female  weeping,  was 
holding  the  hero  back  dissuasively.  Other  emblematical 
devices  completed  the  group.  The  church  and  its  monu- 
ments were  reported  as  destroyed  in  the  siege. 

The  afternoon  before  we  left  Strasbourg  we  took  a  walk 


VENICE  HOMEWARD.  4.5 1 

outside  of  the  fortifications  on  the  north,  and,  seating  our- 
selves in  the  fine  old  park  which  stretched  out  into  the 
country,  we  speculated  more  in  a  sentimental  than  a  seri- 
ous way  upon  the  effects  of  war.  The  great  fortress  which 
incloses  the  city  very  naturally  suggested  such  thoughts ; 
l)ut,  in  the  total  absence  of  every  thing  intimating  the  possi- 
bility of  war  as  near,  our  sympathy  was  mainly  expended 
upon  the  venerable  trees  under  the  shade  of  which  we  were 
resting.  They  looked  as  if  they  might  have  been  standing 
there  for  centuries.  We  lamented  that,  if  war  should  ever 
come  into  these  parts,  one  of  the  first  measures  of  defence 
would  be  the  leveling  of  every  one  of  those  majestic  mon- 
archs  of  the  soil,  all  which  was  done  ver}^  shortly  after  we 
had  left  the  citv. 

It  was  but  a  few  weeks  before  the  French  army  came 
into  the  region  throwing  down  the  gage,  and  then  com- 
menced that  series  of  disasters  to  their  arms  that  has  sel- 
dom, if  ever,  had  a  parallel  in  the  history  of  European  wars. 
Strasbourg  was  surrounded  by  a  besieging  force,  and  one 
after  another  of  its  buildings  and  monuments  disappeared 
in  the  lono-  and  fierce  bombardment.  The  hotel  at  which 
we  had  lodged  was  demolished,  and  the  faithful  porter  who 
waited  on  us,  and  attended  us  to  the  cars  as  we  were  leav- 
ing, I  afterward  learned,  had  his  head  carried  off  by  a  can- 
non ball  as  he  was  going  his  nightly  round  of  insj^ection, 
lantern  in  hand. 

Our  way  to  Paris  was  through  ISTancy,  Bar  le  Due,  Cha- 
lons, and  otlier  places  that  became  famous  in  the  progress 
of  the  war,  and  through  the  beautiful  champaign  that  was 
soon  devastated  by  the  opposing  armies.  It  was  then  cov- 
ered with  luxuriant  crops  that  were  smiling  in  the  sum- 
mer's sun,  but  they  were  not  gathered  before  the  iron  heel 
pressed  them  into  the  soil.  As  the  terrific  conflict  went  on, 
and  the  forces  of  both  armies  drew  all  the  while  nearer  to 
the  French  capital,  we  read  the  accounts  with  deeper  inter- 
est and  more  intense  sympathy  from  having  so  lately  seen 
the  fields  smiling  with  the  promise  of  a  peaceful  harvest,. 


452  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

and  the  cities  rejoicing  in  the  quiet  and  plenty  which  were 
to  pass  away  and  be  succeeded  by  scenes  of  blood. 

Paris  was  more  gay  and  beautiful  than  ever.  Twenty 
years  of  rebuilding  under  Louis  Napoleon,  with  the  purse 
of  the  nation  at  command,  had  made  it  the  most  splendid 
city  in  the  world.  Its  palaces  and  boulevards,  its  parks 
and  public  buildings,  its  residences  and  shops,  were  never 
so  attractive,  nor  was  the  city  ever  thronged  with  so  gay  a 
crowd.  There  were  no  signs  of  the  coming  storm  ;  all  was 
the  luxury,  the  intoxication  of  peace.  The  wickedness  of 
the  city  was  more  unrestrained  than  I  had  ever  seen  it — 
less  garnished  with  the  outward  covering  of  propriety,  but 
no  one  dreamed  that  its  doom  was  so  close  at  hand,  or  that 
the  empire  was  about  to  commit  suicide  by  plunging  into 
war.  Much  sooner  should  1  have  predicted  revolution  in 
Paris  than  war  on  the  frontier.  In  the  shops,  on  the  streets, 
and  in  social  circles,  curses  deep,  but  not  loud,  were  heard 
against  the  emperor  whose  ambition  and  extravagance  had 
run  their  race  with  the  French  nation,  notwithstanding  he 
had  done  so  much  to  gratify  French  vanity,  Louis  Napo- 
leon never  had  the  hearts  of  the  people ;  they  never  really 
believed  in  liim,  and  they  were  becoming  weary  of  his  iron 
though  brilliant  rule.  The  change  in  popular  feeling  was 
strikingly  perceptible — it  was  scarcely  concealed,  and  was 
the  subject  of  general  remark  among  foreigners  who  had 
been  familiar  with  Paris  in  the  former  years  of  his  reign. 

Weeks  passed  cpiickly  away  in  recovering  from  the  fa- 
tigues of  nearly  a  year's  journeying;  in  the  society  of 
fi-iends  who  were  gatherino;  from  the  Continent  and  from 
home;  in  excursions  here  and  there  in  and  around  Paris; 
and  in  doing  nothing ;  and  then  we  crossed  the  Channel  to 
sojourn  for  a  little  season  in  merry  England,  and  to  enjoy 
the  scenery  of  Scotland  and  Ireland. 

An  excursion  of  two  days  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  made 
fi'om  London,  I  shall  ever  recall  among  the  most  pleasing 
memories  of  British  soil.  The  island  is  a  beautiful  garden  ; 
some  of  its  scenery,  especially  the  cliffs  upon  the  sea-shore, 


VEXICE  HOMEWARD.  453 

ill  the  highest  degree  picturesque  and  striking;  the  ruins 
of  Carisbrooke  Castle  furnish  the  romance  and  history ; 
and  the  scenes  which  have  been  recorded  by  the  pen  of 
Leijh  Richmond  are  invested  with  a  sacred  interest  scarce- 
ly  equaled  in  any  other  localities  outside  of  the  Holy  Land. 
No  one  who  has  read  Ins  Annals  of  the  Poor — among  the 
most  touching  and  instructive  of  human  biographies,  sim- 
ple though  they  are — can  fail  to  appreciate  a  visit  to  the 
cottage  of  the  Dairyman's  Daughter,  and  to  the  home  and 
the  o;rave  of  Little  Jane. 

Taking  it  leisurely  through  the  interior  of  England,  go- 
ing here  and  there  as  inclination  led  us,  and  stopping  now 
and  then  as  attraction  held  us,  at  Oxford,  Stratford-on-Avon, 
Kenilworth,  Chatsworth,  and  many  other  places  of  interest, 
we  at  length  reached  the  Tweed,  and  made  another  pilgrim- 
aa^e  to  the  home  and  the  haunts  of  Sir  Walter  Scott.  We 
paused  again-  at  Edinburg,  appropriately  styled  the  mod- 
ern Athens.  Its  location,  in  regard  to  land  and  sea,  is  strik- 
ingly like  that  of  the  Grecian  capital,  its  monuments  are 
not  unworthy  of  the  ancient  city,  and  it  has  long  embodied 
much  of  the  learnino-  of  Britain. 

Fresh  in  our  hearts  shall  we  ever  keep  the  memory  of 
the  days  we  spent  in  the  hospitable  homes  of  the  ancient 
kingdom  of  Fife,  among  the  associations  of  the  early  days 
of  Chalmers,  where  our  time  for  sojourning  was  so  short 
that  we  almost  wished  we  had  there  begun  instead  of  end- 
ing our  travels.  But  the  days  would  not  wait  upon  us,  and 
leaving  reluctantly  those  delightful  circles  of  friends,  w^e 
made  the  tour  of  the  Trosachs  and  the  Lakes.  From 
Glasgow  we  crossed  the  Irish  Channel,  ended  our  wander- 
ings on  land  by  journeying  through  the  Emerald  Isle,  and 
took  the  steamer  for  home. 

Gladly  would  we  have  avoided  the  Atlantic  had  there 
been  any  other  way  of  reaching  home.  Long  ago  did  I 
come  to  be  of  the  same  opinion  with  one  of  the  Catos  of 
ancient  Home.  As  he  was  drawing  near  his  end,  he  said 
there  were  three  regrets  still  lying  on  his  mind.     The  first 


454:  AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

was,  that  he  had  spent  a  day  without  bringing  am^  thino- 
good  to  pass ;  the  second,  that  he  had  once  intrusted  a  se- 
cret to  a  woman  (in  which  I  differ  from  him  toto  ccelo) ; 
but  the  third  regret  was  one  that  has  always  commanded 
my  profound  respect  for  the  old  Roman  since  first  I  was 
rocked  in  the  cradle  of  the  deep — that  once  in  his  lifetime 
he  had  made  a  journey  by  sea  when  he  could  have  gone 
by  land.  Had  there  been  any  way  to  make  the  journey 
around  the  world  by  land,  I  should  have  avoided  all  the 
seas.  Not  that  I  have  any  fear  of  the  ocean ;  nor  am  I 
called  upon,  like  most  voyagers,  to  pay  tribute  to  Neptune  ; 
but  I  greatly  prefer  the  solid  earth. 

With  the  excei3tion  of  the  China  Seas,  we  found  the 
winds  and  the  waves  nowhere  so  inhospitable  as  on  the  At- 
lantic. It  was  the  month  of  July — the  month  and  year  of 
the  extremest  heat  recorded  on  our  shores,  but,  between 
northerly  winds  and  the  icebergs,  we  suffered  intensely  with 
the  cold.  Not  until  we  had  crossed  the  Banks  was  there  a 
day  on  which  it  was  mild  enough  to  enjoy  the  deck.  The 
voyage  was  boisterous  and  protracted,  a  perfect  contrast  to 
our  experience  on  the  Pacific. 

But  every  voyage,  not  excepting  that  of  life,  must  have 
its  close.  The  famihar  shores  at  length  appeared,  and  we 
hailed  Columbia,  the  sight  of  which  was  never  so  dear  as 
when,  after  ha\ang  tossed  upon  so  many  seas,  and  wander- 
ed in  so  many  lands,  the  highlands  of  the  coast,  and  then 
the  green  shores  of  the  harbor,  and  then  the  spires  of  the 
city  of  New  York  rose  into  view. 

And  here  we  are  at  home  again.  Tlianks  to  the  kind 
Providence  which  has  been  over  us  in  all  the  perils  of  the 
land  and  of  the  sea.  And  more  thankful  than  ever  shall 
we  be  that  this  land  is  our  home.  Each  country  that  we 
have  seen  has  its  own  peculiar  features  and  its  own  attrac- 
tions, but  nowhere  have  we  found  such  a  combination  of 
all  that  makes  a  country  attractive  in  scenery  and  desirable 
as  a  life-long  residence:  majestic  mountains  and  broad 
prairies,  wide  -  spreading  lakes   and  rivers   navigable  for 


VENICE  HOMEWARD.  4.55 

thousands  of  miles,  grand  old  forests  and  magnificent  wa- 
terfalls, boundless  mineral  resources  of  every  kind,  all  the 
varieties  of  climate,  and  the  fruits  of  the  earth  poured  out 
with  a  profusion  scarcely  imagined  in  any  other  part  of  the 
world.  If  we  have  learned  nothing  more  in  our  wander- 
ings, we  liave  learned  to  appreciate  our  own  country,  and  to 
be  thankful  to  Ilim  who  "  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  na- 
tions for  to  dwell  on  all  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  hath  de- 
termined the  bounds  of  their  habitation,"  for  the  goodly 
heritage  he  hath  given  us.  The  American  who  can  travel 
abroad  and  not  have  his  admiration  for  his  own  land  in- 
creased can  have  seen  but  little  of  it,  and  is  equally  to  be 
pitied  with  him  who  can  see  nothing  good  or  beautiful  in 
other  lands. 

Here  evermore  may  our  home  be,  until  our  journeyings 
on  earth  shall  come  to  an  end,  and  we  take  our  departure 
to  "  a  better  country — that  is,  an  heavenly." 


THE    END. 


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Opinions.  Edited  by  Professor  Suedd.  Complete  in  Seven  Vols.  With  a^'flne 
Portrait.    Small  Svo,  Cloth,  $10  50. 

CURTIS'S  HISTORY'  OF  THE  CONSTITUTION.  History  of  the  Origin,  Formation, 
and  Adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  By  Geoeqe  Ticknob 
CuETis.     2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $0  00. 

DOOLITTLE'S  CHINA.  Social  Life  of  the  Chinese  :  with  some  Account  of  their  Re- 
ligious, Governmental,  Educational,  and  Business  Customs  and  Opinions.  With 
special  but  not  exclusive  Reference  to  Fuhchau.  By  Rev.  JrsTrs  Doolittlb, 
Fourteen  Years  Member  of  the  Fuhchau  Mission  of  the  American  Board.  Illus- 
trated with  more  than  150  characteristic  Engravings  on  Wood.  2  vols.,  12mo, 
Cloth,  $5  00. 

GIBBON'S  ROME.  History  of  the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire.  By  Ed- 
ward Gibbon.  With  Notes  by  Rev.  H.  H.  Milman  and  M.  Grizox.  A  new  cheap 
Edition.  To  which  is  added  a  complete  Index  of  the  whole  Work,  and  a  Portrait 
of  the  Author.     6  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $9  00. 


4  Harper  &=  Brothers'  Valuable  Sta7idard  Works. 

HARPER'S  NEW  CLASSICAL  LIBRARY.    Literal  Translations. 

The  following  Volumes  are  now  ready.    Portraits.    12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50  each. 

CjiSAR. — ViKGIL. — SaLLUST.  — HORACE.— CiCEEo'S  OrATIONS. — ClCEEO'S  OfFIOEB> 

&c._CiOERO  ON  Oratory  and  Orators.— Tacitus  (2  vols.). —  Terence. — 
SoPuooLES. — JtrvE.NAL. — Xenophon. —  Homer's  Iliau. — Homkr's  Odyssey. — 
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— LiVY  (-2  vols.). 

DAVIS'S  CARTHAGE.  Carthage  and  her  Remains  :  being  an  Account  of  the  Exca- 
vations and  Researches  ou  the  Site  of  the  Phcenician  Metropolis  in  Africa  and  other 
adjacent  Places.  Conducted  under  the  Auspices  of  Her  Majesty's  Government. 
Bv  Dr.  Davis,  F.R.G.S.  Profusely  Illustrated  with  Maps,  Woodcuts,  Chromo- 
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GROTE'S  HISTORY  OF  GREECE.    12  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $18  00. 

HELPS'S  SPANISH  CONQLTEST.  The  Spanish  Conquest  in  America,  and  its  Rela- 
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Helps.    4  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $6  00. 

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HALL'S  ARCTIC  RESEARCHES.  Arctic  Researches  and  Life  among  the  Esqui- 
maux: being  the  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  in  Search  of  Sir  John  Franliliu,  in 
the  Years  IStiO,  1S61,  and  1S62.  By  Charles  Francis  Hall.  With  Maps  and  100 
Illustrations.  The  Illustrations  are  from  Original  Drawings  by  Charles  Parsons, 
Henry  L.  Stephens,  Solomon  Evtinge,  W.  S.  L.  Jewett,  and  Granville  Perkins, 
after  Sketches  by  Captain  Hall.  'Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

HALLAM'S  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND,  from  the  Accession  of 
Henry  VIL  to  the  Death  of  George  II.    Svo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

HALLAM'S  LITERATURE.  Introduction  to  the  Literature  of  Europe  during  the 
Fifteenth,  Sixteenth,  and  Seventeenth  Centuries.  By  Henry  Hallam.  2  vols., 
Svo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

HALLAM'S  MIDDLE  AGES.  State  of  Europe  during  the  Middle  Ages.  By  Heney 
Hallam.     Svo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

HILDRETH'S  HISTORY  OP  THE  L*NITED  STATES.  First  Series  :  From  the 
First  Settlement  of  the  Country  to  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution. 
Second  Series  :  From  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  to  the  End  of 
the  Sis^teenth  Congress.     6  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $1S  00. 

HUME'S  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND.  History  of  England,  from  the  Invasion  of  Ju- 
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tion, with  the  Author's  last  Corrections  and  Improvements.  To  wliich  is  Prefix- 
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thor.   6  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $9  00. 

JAY'S  WORKS.  Complete  Works  of  Rev.  William  Jay :  comprising  his  Sermons, 
Family  Discourses,  Morning  and  Evening  Exercises  for  every  Day  in  the  Year, 
Family  Prayers,  &c.  Author's  enlarged  Edition,  revised.  3  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth, 
$6  0(t.  " 

JEFFERSON'S  DOMESTIC  LIFE.  The  Domestic  Life  of  Thomas  Jefferson :  com- 
piled from  Familv  Letters  and  Reminiscences  by  his  Great-Grauddaughter, 
Sarah  N.  Randolph.  With  Illustrations.  Crown'Svo,  Illuminated  Cloth,  Bev- 
eled Edges,  $2  50. 

JOHNSON'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  W<irks  of  Samuel  Johnson,  LL.D.  With 
an  Essay  on  his  Life  and  Genius,  by  Artuub  Murphy,  Esq.  Portrait  of  Johnson. 
2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

KINGLAKE'S  CRIMEAN  WAR.  The  Invasion  of  the  Crimea,  and  an  Account  of 
its  Prosrress  down  to  the  Death  of  Lord  Rasflan.  By  Alexander  William  King- 
lake,  "with  Maps  and  Plans.    Two  Vols,  ready.    i2mo.  Cloth,  $2  00  per  vol. 

KINGSLEY'S  WEST  INDIES.  At  Last:  A  Christmas  in  the  West  Indies.  By 
Charles  Kingslet.    Illustrated.    12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 


Harper  6^  Brothers'  Valuable  Standard  Works.  5 

KRDMMACHER'S  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL.  David,  the  King  of  Israel:  a  Por- 
trait drawn  from  Bible  History  and  the  Book  of  Psalms.  By  Feedekick  William 
Keummaouer,  D.D.,  Author  of  "Elijah  the  Tishbite,"  &c.  Translated  under  the 
express  Sanction  of  the  Author  by  the  Rev.  M.  G.  Easton,  M.A.  With  a  Letter 
from  Dr.  Krummacher  to  his  American  Readers,  and  a  Portrait.  12mo,  Cloth, 
$1  75. 

LAMB'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  Works  of  Charles  Lamb.  Comprising  his  Let- 
ters, Poems,  Essays  of  Elia,  Essays  upon  Shakspeare,  Hogarth,  &c.,  and  a  Sketch 
of  his  Life,  with  the  Final  Memorials,  by  T.  Noon  Talfoubd.  Portrait.  2  vols., 
12mo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

LIVINGSTONE'S  SOUTH  AFRICA.  Missionary  Travels  and  Researches  in  South 
Africa :  including  a  Sketch  of  Sixteen  Years'  Residence  in  the  Interior  of  Africa, 
and  a  Journey  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  Loando  on  the  West  Coast ;  thence 
across  the  Continent,  down  the  River  Zambesi,  to  the  Eastern  Ocean.  By  David 
Livingstone,  LL.D.,  D.C.L.  With  Portrait,  Maps  by  Arrowsmith,  and  numerous 
Illustrations.    Svo,  Cloth,  $4  50. 

LIVINGSTONES'  ZAJNIBESI.  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  to  the  Zambesi  and  its 
Tributaries,  and  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Lakes  Shirwa  and  Nyassa.  ]S58-1864. 
Bv  David  and  Charles  Liviugsto.ne.  With  Map  and  Illustrations.  Svo,  Cloth, 
$5' 00. 

M'CLINTOCK  &  STRONG'S  CYCLOPEDIA.  Cyclopaedia  of  Biblical,  Theological, 
and  Ecclesiastical  Literature.  Prepared  by  the  Rev.  John  M'Clintock,  D.D., 
and  James  Strong,  S.T.D.  3  vols,  noir  ready.  Royal  Svo.  Price  per  vol..  Cloth, 
$5  00  ;  Sheep,  $6  00 ;  Half  Morocco,  $S  00. 

MARCY'S  ARMY  LIFE  ON  THE  BORDER.  Thirty  Y'ears  of  Army  Life  on  the 
Border.  Comprising  Descriptions  of  the  Indian  Nomads  of  the  Plains ;  Explo- 
rations of  New  Territory;  a  Trip  across  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  the  Winter; 
Descriptions  of  the  Habits  of  Different  Animals  found  in  the  West,  and  the  Meth- 
ods of  Hunting  them  ;  with  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Different  Frontier  Men,  &c., 
&c.  By  Brevet  Brigadier-General  R.  B.  Marcy,  I\S.A.,  Author  of  "The  Prairie 
Traveller."    With  numerous  Illustrations.    Svo,  Cloth,  Beveled  Edges,  $3  00. 

MACAULAY'S  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND.  The  History  of  England  from  the  Ac- 
cession of  James  II.  Bv  Thomas  Babington  Maoaflay.  With  an  Original  Por- 
trait of  the  Author.     5  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $10  00  ;  12mo,  Cloth,  $T  50. 

MOSHEIM'S  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY,  Ancient  and  Modern  ;  in  which  the 
Rise,  Progress,  and  Variation  of  Church  Power  are  considered  in  their  Connec- 
tion with  the  State  of  Learainsr  and  Philosophy,  and  the  Political  History  of  Eu- 
rope during  that  Period.  Translated,  with  Notes,  <fec.,  by  A.  Maclaine,  D.D. 
A  new  Edition,  continued  to  1826,  by  C.  Coote,  LL.D.    2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $i  00. 

NEVTU.S'S  CHINA.  China  and  the  Chinese  :  a  General  Description  of  the  Country 
and  its  Inhabitants  ;  its  Civilization  and  Form  of  Government;  its  Religious  anS 
Social  Institutions  ;  its  Intercourse  with  other  Nations  :  and  its  Present  Condition 
and  Prospects.  By  the  Rev.  John  L.  NEvirs,  Ten  Years  a  Missionary  in  China. 
With  a  Map  and  Illustrations.    12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

OLIN'S  (Dr.)  LIFE  AND  LETTERS.    2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

OLIN'S  (De.)  TRAVELS.  Travels  in  Eg}-pt,  Arabia  Petrasa,  and  the  Holy  Laud.  En- 
gravings.    2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

OLESf'S  (Dr.)  WORKS.  The  Works  of  Stephen  Olin,  D.D.,  late  President  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  University.    2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

OLLPHANT'S  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  Narrative  of  the  Earl  of  Elgin's  Mission  to 
China  and  Japan,  in  the  Years  1S57,  '5S,  '.59.     By  LArKENCE  Oliphant,  Private 

Secretary  to  Lord  Elgin.    Illustrations.     Svo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

OLIPHANT'S  (AIks.)  LIFE  OF  EDWARD  IRVING.  The  Life  of  Edward  Irving, 
Minister  of  the  National  Scotch  Church,  London.  Illustrated  by  his  Journals  and 
Correspondence.     By  Mrs.  Oliphant.     Portrait.     Svo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

RAWLINSON'S  MANUAL  OF  ANCIENT  HISTORY.  A  Manual  of  Ancient  His- 
tory, from  the  Earliest  Times  to  the  Fall  of  the  Western  Empire.  Comprising 
the"  History  of  Chaldsea,  Assyria,  Media,  Babylonia,  Lydia,  Phoenicia,  Syria,  Ju- 
daea, Egypt,  Carthage,  Persia,  Greece,  Macedonia,  Parthia,  and  Rome.  By 
George' Rawlinson,  M.A.,  Camden  Professor  of  Ancient  History  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Oxford.     12mo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 


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KECLUS'S  THE  EARTH.  The  Earth  :  a  Descriptive  History  of  the  Phenomena  and 
Life  of  the  Globe.  By  Elisee  RECLrs.  Translated  by  the  late  B.  B.  Woodward, 
and  Edited  by  Henry  Woodward.  With  '234  Maps  and  Illustrations,  and  23  Page 
Maps  printed  in  Colors.    8vo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

POETS  OP  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY.  The  Poets  of  the  Nineteenth  Century. 
Selected  and  Edited  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Aris  Willmott.  With  English  and 
American  Additions,  arranged  by  Evert  A.  Duyckinck,  Editor  of  "  Cyclopffidia 
of  American  Literature."  Comprising  Selections  from  the  Greatest  Authors  of 
the  Age.  Superbly  Illustrated  with  132  Engravings  from  Designs  by  the  most 
Eminent  Artists.  In  elegant  small  4to  form,  printed  on  Superfine  Tinted  Paper, 
richly  bound  in  extra  Cloth,  Beveled,  Gilt  Edges,  $6  00 ;  Half  Calf,  $6  00 ;  Full 
Turkey  Morocco,  $10  00. 

SHAKSPEARE.  The  Dramatic  Worlds  of  William  Shakspeare,  with  the  Corrections 
and  Illustrations  of  Dr.  Johmson,  G.  Steevens,  and  others.  Revised  by  Isaac 
Reed.    Engravings.    6  vols..  Royal  12mo,  Cloth,  $9  00. 

SMILES'S  LIFE  OF  THE  STEPHENSONS.  The  Life  of  George  Stephenson,  and 
of  his  Son,  Robert  Stephenson ;  comprising,  also,  a  History  of  the  Invention  and 
Introduction  of  the  Railway  Locomotive.  By  Samuel  Smiles,  Author  of  "Self- 
Help,"  &c.    With  Steel  Portraits  and  numerous  Illustrations.    Svo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

SMILES'S  HISTORY  OP  THE  HUGUENOTS.  The  Huguenots :  their  Settlements, 
Churches,  and  Industries  in  England  and  Ireland.  By  Samdel  Smiles.  With  an 
Appendix  relating  to  the  Huguenots  in  America.     Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

SPEKE'S  AFRICA.  Jotrrnal  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Source  of  the  Nile.  By  Cap- 
tain JouN  Hanni>g  Speke,  Captain  H.  M.  Indian  Army,  Fellow  and  Gold  Med- 
alist of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society,  Hon.  Corresponding  Member  and  Gold 
Medalist  of  the  French  Geographical  Society,  &c.  With  Maps  and  Portraits  and 
numerous  Illustrations,  chiefly  from  Drawings  by  Captain  Grant.  Svo,  Cloth, 
uniform  with  Livingstone,  Barth,  Burton,  &c.',  $-4  00. 

STRICKLAND'S  (Miss)  QUEENS  OF  SCOTLAND.  Lives  of  theQueens  of  Scot- 
land and  English  Princesses  connected  with  the  Regal  Succession  of  Great  Brit- 
ain.    By  Agnes  Strickland.     8  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $12  00. 

THE  STUDENT'S  SERIES. 

France.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Gibbon.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Greece.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Hume.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Rome.  By  Liddell.  Engravings.   12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Old  Testament  History.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

New  Testament  History.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Strickland's  Queens  of  England.    Abridged.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Ancieut  History  of  the  East.     12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Hallam's  Middle  Ages.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Lyell's  Elements  of  Geology.     12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

TENNYSON'S  COMPLETE  POEMS.  The  Complete  Poems  of  Alfred  Tennyson, 
Poet  Laureate.  With  numerous  Illustrations  by  Eminent  Artists,  and  "Three 
Characteristic  Portraits.    Svo,  Paper,  75  cents ;  Cloth,  $1  25. 

THOMSON'S  LAND  AND  THE  BOOK.  The  Land  and  the  Book ;  or,  Biblical  Illus- 
trations drawn  from  the  Manners  and  Customs,  the  Scenes  and  the  Scenery,  of 
the  Holy  Land.  By  W.  M.  Thomson,  D.D.,  Twenty-five  Years  a  Missionary  of  the 
A.B.C.P.M.  in  Syria  and  Palestine.  With  two  elaborate  Maps  of  Palestine,  an  ac- 
curate Plan  of  Jerusalem,  and  several  hundred  Engravings,  representing  the  Scen- 
ery, Topography,  and  Productions  of  the  Holy  Land,  and  the  Costumes,  Manners, 
and  Habits  of  the  People.    2  large  12mo  vols..  Cloth,  $5  00. 

TYERMAN'S  WESLEY.  The  Life  and  Times  of  the  Rev.  John  Wesley,  M.A.,  Found- 
er of  the  Methodists.  By  the  Rev.  Luke  Tyerman,  Author  of  "  The  Life  of  Rev. 
Samuel  Wesley."    Portraits.    3  vols..  Crown  Svo. 

VAJVIBERY'S  CENTRAL  ASIA.  Travels  in  Central  Asia.  Being  the  Account  of  a 
Journey  from  Teheran  across  the  Turkoman  Desert,  on  the  Eastern  Shore  of  the 
Caspian,  to  Khiva,  Bokhara,  and  Samarcand,  performed  in  the  Year  1SC3.  By 
Arminius  Vambert,  Member  of  the  Hungarian  Academy  of  Pesth,  by  whom  he 
was  sent  on  this  Scientific  Mission.    With  Map  and  Woodcuts.    Svo,  Cloth,  $4  50. 

WOOD'S  HOMES  WITHOUT  HANDS.  Homes  Without  Hands:  being  a  Descrip- 
tion of  the  Habitations  of  Animals,  classed  according  to  their  Principle  of  Con- 
struction. By  J.  G.  Wood,  M.A.,  F.L.S.  With  about  140  Illustrations.  Svo, 
Cloth,  Beveled  Edges,  $4  50. 


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